| |
Prolific Herpetologist Publishes Third Snake Book in a Year
Michael Dorcas
|
7/28/2005
Contact: Bill Giduz 704/894-2244 or bigiduz@davidson.edu
by Jonathan Crooms ' 04
Davidson College herpetologist Michael E. Dorcas recently published Snakes of the Southeast to help the public identify and appreciate snakes native to this region of the country.
Co-written with long-time colleague and mentor J. Whitfield Gibbons, a professor of ecology at the University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Dorcas' newest work is a pictorial guide that includes information on the behavior and activity, reproductive and feeding patterns, and habitats of fifty-two species of snakes found from Louisiana to Virginia to Florida. The book also provides maps showing how many and what species of snakes live in various areas, and it provides information on snake conservation.
Many of the photographs and descriptions in Snakes of the Southeast were taken and edited by Davidson college students working as research assistants to Dorcas.
Dorcas said that the most dangerous snake readers will encounter in the Southeast is the Eastern Diamond Rattlesnake, while the snake with the most potent venom is the Coral Snake. Readers will also learn of many harmless species, some with fascinating defense mechanisms. “The Hognose Snake won't bite, but it will act as though it is going to attack,” said Dorcas, an associate professor of biology. “If that doesn't scare you off, it will roll around on its back and play dead.”
A life-long lover and scholar of reptiles and amphibians, Dorcas said he hopes the new book will help people identify and understand snakes they may encounter in their own backyards. Dorcas said, “We want people to see snakes as an important part of their natural heritage in the Southeast, and as something valuable to the environment in which they live.”
Snakes of the Southeast is available through the University of Georgia Press or at www.amazon.com and www.bn.com.
Snakes of the Southeast is the third book on snakes that Dorcas has published within the past year. He wrote the pictorial Guide to the Snakes of North Carolina, which describes thirty-seven species in the state, and co-wrote with Gibbons North American Watersnakes, a comprehensive study of all fourteen species of watersnakes found in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Cuba. Dorcas has also published numerous book chapters and academic journal articles on snakes and other reptiles and amphibians.
Dorcas intends to continue writing both scholarly articles and guides for the general public. He is considering a book on how to become a herpetologist, as well as an edited book on snake conservation. He is currently working with Davidson College Herpetology Lab research coordinator Steven Price and two other collaborators to write a book on frogs of North Carolina that will include a compact disc recording of frog calls.
Dorcas' love of reptiles and amphibians is rooted in the father-son camping and fishing trips of his childhood days in Texas, which often included adventurous treks in search of snakes. His passion for the species grew as he became older, leading him to earn a B.S. in 1986 and an M.S. in 1990 both in biology from the University of Texas at Arlington. He earned a Ph.D. in biology from Idaho State University in 1995, where he wrote his dissertation on the physiology of a small boa constrictor called the “rubber boa,” which is found in the northwest United States.
After completing his Ph.D., Dorcas served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. He joined the Davidson biology department in 1998.
Dorcas and his students recently completed a long-term study on black snakes, which involved tracking their movement on Davidson's 220-acre ecological preserve with radio telemetry.
In addition to his teaching, research, and writing, Dorcas directs the college's annual “Reptile Day” each April as part of Davidson's Earth Month Celebration. He and his students introduce the public to reptiles and amphibians during Reptile Day through talks and close-up, hands-on interaction. “One of the most effective ways we can educate the public about reptiles and amphibians is to allow people to get up close and interact with them,” he said.
Although much of his interaction with snakes occurs in the laboratory or the field, Dorcas is never really far from them, especially since his children keep several boa constrictors and ball pythons as pets at home. He said what he loves most about studying snakes are the unplanned moments and unexpected finds that he experiences in the field. “My favorite thing is not knowing what you're going to find, whether it's research or just out for fun,” said Dorcas. “I am very fortunate to be an academic herpetologist.”
Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,700 students. Since its establishment in 1837, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine. Davidson just completed “Let Learning Be Cherished,” a $250 million campaign in support of student financial assistance, academic resources, and community life.
# # #
|
|
