He Survived a Lightning Storm in a Boat Surrounded by Alligators — and Calls It ‘Kind of Funny’. Meet Herpetologist Geoffrey Smith

The post He Survived a Lightning Storm in a Boat Surrounded by Alligators — and Calls It ‘Kind of Funny’. Meet Herpetologist Geoffrey Smith appeared first on A-Z Animals.

If you picture a herpetologist as someone who exclusively wrangles snakes and whispers to lizards, Geoffrey Smith might surprise you. Yes, he’s unmistakably a reptile expert, but his scientific curiosity doesn’t stop at scales. As the Department Chair of Biological Sciences at Utah Tech University, Geoffrey is what you’d call an integrative biologist. This means he’s just as likely to be knee-deep in a swamp studying aquatic insects as he is tracking bats in the wild.

Recently, at a conference, he delivered a talk on the unexpected connections between insects, bats, and remote bodies of water. “Okay, so, like, I have other interests too,” he says with a laugh, acknowledging that while reptiles might be his first love, science has a way of pulling him in unexpected directions.

In this edition of 10 Questions…, we’re getting a glimpse into herpetology, the world of cold-blooded creatures, surprising research twists, and maybe even a few good stories about what happens when you study nature’s most misunderstood critters. In a rainstorm. With alligators.

How did you first become interested in herpetology? What led you to pursue that as a career?

Well, have you seen reptiles and amphibians? They’re rad. They’re really cool. I caught lizards when I was a kid — lizards and frogs — and I was fascinated with alligators. As kids, I think a lot of people are. 

I got to do a Masters working with alligators. I still dream about them; they’re big, charismatic animals. The animals drew me to it because they’re very neat.

Instead of dispelling myths and telling people they’re wrong, I find it a better approach to say, ‘Yeah, you’ve been observing what these animals are. You know that they have blue on their bellies. Do you know why they do that?’

Geoffrey Smith, Department Chair of Biological Sciences at Utah Tech University and herpetologist

What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about reptiles and amphibians? 

People think that snakes are “bad” a lot of the time. They’re just snakes; they’re not good or bad. They’re not out to get you, but many people feel that. A lot of people are afraid of creepy crawly animals. 

I think sometimes it’s fashionable to be afraid of things that somebody else is; there can be a social aspect to it. The misconceptions about things being gross or dirty are not true. You’re way more likely to get bitten by or get a terrible disease from a cat than from a snake or frog.

Have you had any particularly memorable fieldwork experiences?

One time, we ran out of gas on this lake that had alligators in it. We were stuck in all this aquatic vegetation, and it started to rain really hard … with lightning. This was in the South, where there are thunderstorms that come up. 

Lightning was hitting the trees around us, and we couldn’t get through this vegetation. We had a push pole, which is just a 12-foot metal pole, so you don’t want to hold that up in a lightning storm. We didn’t know what to do, and I wasn’t going to swim for it, but the guy I was with was going to, so he went to jump out of the boat. 

He put his legs over the gunnels, and this 12-foot alligator popped up between his feet. He got back into the boat. 

Eventually, the storm passed, and we were able to push through the vegetation, but that was kind of funny. Lighting is dangerous; it’s no joke.

What are some of the most pressing conservation challenges facing reptiles and amphibians?

The one I’ve been most concerned about is habitat loss and degradation. That’s not unique to reptiles and amphibians, but there are special places where, if you develop or change it, you lose that habitat. 

Where I live, in the desert, there are housing developments that encroach on desert tortoise and Gila monster habitat. And then, out on public land, there are gigantic solar farms. That’s a cleaner energy than burning carbon, but it can take away a lot of habitat. 

The pet trade — legal and illegal — can be bad for wild populations. That’s an entirely different problem. Climate change can affect everything, but that’s really unpredictable. For some [animals], their ranges might extend north (in our country anyway), provided that there’s good habitat for them to go to. But habitat is the issue I focus on most.

Are there any species you find particularly fascinating?

The side-blotched lizard is the most important lizard in North America. Those are the ones I did my dissertation on. They range from Central Washington State on the eastern side down to Baja California and down into the state of Sonora in Mexico. They’ve got this huge latitudinal range, so you can ask lots of questions about how they live in different places. 

Anywhere it’s dry in the West — those places are good for side-blotched lizards. They’re small and don’t live a very long time, so I have found them to be really cool models for asking questions about how they allocate energy between their immune system and their reproductive system, and life history sorts of questions. 

There’s a long and rich history on side-blotched lizards. People have been researching them for years. There are some cool historic papers, and they’re still a widely used model. So it’s cool to have an abundant wild animal that you can ask questions with.

Do you have any advice for students or aspiring herpetologists who might want to follow in your footsteps?

Make sure you’re enjoying what you’re doing. If you’re pursuing something like this, chances are you’re on the right track. Just make sure you’re asking the questions you’re curious about.

How do you approach educating the public about reptiles and amphibians? In particular, how do you approach the idea of those who might fear them? 

I’m not of the mindset that if somebody’s afraid of a snake, you should throw a snake at them, and they’ll get over it. I think some people don’t come around to things. But we’ve got a natural history museum at the university, and we’ve got outreach animals, and kids are just naturally curious. 

People are born scientists. They are curious, and they want to see animals. I think just allowing them to be excited (and being excited myself) about cool living things is normal. And I think that positive energy can be infectious.

Are there any recent advancements in herpetology that excite you?

I live in the St. George, Utah, area, and it’s where the Mojave, Colorado Plateau, and Great Basin all come together. So, what excites me more than the most impactful cutting-edge research is just going out into amazing places, observing wildlife where they live, and trying to come up with new questions based on that old-school naturalist model.

Are there any myths you wish you could dispel about snakes or lizards?

I think that a lot of the time, when people want to educate the public, they come off as a little bit snotty about things like, “It’s not a buffalo; it’s a bison.” You can call it a buffalo if you know what you’re talking about. But that’s something I hear come up a lot, and I don’t think that brings people into being interested in science and trusting scientists at our jobs. We’ve got a lot of lizards in this part of Utah that people call bluebellies. And there are multiple species that have blue on their bellies. It’s a signaling thing that they do. And I’ve known folks who say, “Oh, it’s not a blue belly; it’s a Sceloporus magister.” I don’t think that brings the public in. Instead of dispelling myths and telling people they’re wrong, I find it a better approach to say, “Yeah, you’ve been observing what these animals are. You know that they have blue on their bellies. Do you know why they do that?” And then mention what the species is. So instead of myth-busting, make it more of a collaborative education thing — because they’re making observations, too. They could be seeing things that I miss.

What is the most surprising aspect of your career?

I’m a grown man, and I go out and catch lizards. I love it. I sometimes take it seriously, and it’s a lot of fun. I get to take my kids out, and I get to bring students out, and we catch animals. We look at them, and we learn things about them, and we put them back so they can go back into the wild. And that’s not surprising, but it’s enjoyable.

The post He Survived a Lightning Storm in a Boat Surrounded by Alligators — and Calls It ‘Kind of Funny’. Meet Herpetologist Geoffrey Smith appeared first on A-Z Animals.