Audubon at Home: Incidental Encounters–Reptiles & Amphibians of Alabama

Pre-registration is required by 12 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, August 10th, and space is limited. Please visit https://alaudubon.org/event/2021-08-11/ for more information and to register.

Alabama’s amazing diversity of flora and fauna includes a combined 166 species of cold-blooded reptiles and amphibians. While we honor the love of birds and birdwatching (they’re warm-blooded reptiles!), our scaly and slimy neighbors deserve their day in the sun. As one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, our native reptiles and amphibians are a testament to the unique beauty and wildness of Alabama. Our state is the home of the world’s largest diversity of freshwater turtles, even more than the Amazon! We also boast several endemic species, including the Black Warrior waterdog and the Red Hills salamander. All of our native species (like the birds) are important and worth protecting. We feel that the more you know about your cold-blooded neighbors, the more interesting and beautiful you will find them.

Join Scott and Leah for an exploration of Alabama’s rich diversity of reptiles and amphibians, including a focus on common species, endemics, charismatics, and venomous. We will also discover a little about the evolutionary and ecological associations between birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Our focus is to help you understand a little more about the salamanders, frogs, alligators, turtles, lizards, and snakes you may encounter while birdwatching. We love our cold-blooded neighbors, and we bet you will too.

Note: Any attempt to harass a wild snake can end in bites or envenomation. We recommend snake removal be handled by trained experts.

Where and when do we meet? This online course meets on four consecutive Wednesdays (8/11, 8/18, 8/25, and 9/1), from 6–7 p.m. CDT. It will be a one-hour online class with some time at the end for questions.

Cost: Your one-time registration fee of $40 covers the four meetings.* (While you are not required to attend each class, do note that we cannot refund individuals for partial attendance.) We will be recording the webinar and making it available to participants for a week after the class. *We understand there are economic barriers that many are facing during this time. If you live in Alabama and would like to request financial assistance, please email us.*

Registration: To register, visit https://alaudubon.org/event/2021-08-11/.

Photo credit: Eastern coral snake by Scott Jones.