Herpetology B/C

[kate!]

So does anyone know for sure if the species that they are using in the tests are gonna be from North America only? We’ve been studying those species, but from reading through, it looks like we should study for every other specie as well.

First of all, we live in North America, so it's very likely that we'd be tested on North American specimens, just like at a state competition the test writer might ask a question about your specific state. Second of all, we only study the taxa on the official list, and we're only really supposed to study species if the genus has two major ones and we need to know the difference. (For example, genus Glyptemys with bog turtle and wood turtle.) But you should only be taking notes on genera and higher classifications on the list (except the ones I just described).

Ok so I actually just got put onto this event cuz the other person dropped out so I really have no clue what to do and my regional comp is in a couple of weeks. I’ve been using the National Audubon Society Field Guide, but I’ve been getting confused because, for example, under Mud turtles, it lists the the species Mexican, Sonora, Striped, Yellow, and then a Mud Turtle with the subspecies Eastern (k.s.subrubrum), Florida (k.s.steindachneri), and Mississippi (k.s.hippocrepis). I don’t know whether to list info for all the species, only use the specific Mud Turtle listing, or just only put the general info it gave at the top of the section on the entire Kinosternidae family. So hopefully you can understand my confusion. I would ask my partner but she hasn’t done anything at all regarding this event. Thanks!

First of all, you should be using more than just one resource. Field guides aren't always the best, so try using websites like Animal Diversity Web. For that specific situation, you only need to know about the family Kinosternidae. You only have to write information about what is listed on the official list. If it says family, do info about the entire family, not the genera within it (unless those are also listed).

[UTF-8 U+6211 U+662F]

First of all, we live in North America, so it's very likely that we'd be tested on North American specimens, just like at a state competition the test writer might ask a question about your specific state. Second of all, we only study the taxa on the official list, and we're only really supposed to study species if the genus has two major ones and we need to know the difference. (For example, genus Glyptemys with bog turtle and wood turtle.) But you should only be taking notes on genera and higher classifications on the list (except the ones I just described).

Ok so I actually just got put onto this event cuz the other person dropped out so I really have no clue what to do and my regional comp is in a couple of weeks. I’ve been using the National Audubon Society Field Guide, but I’ve been getting confused because, for example, under Mud turtles, it lists the the species Mexican, Sonora, Striped, Yellow, and then a Mud Turtle with the subspecies Eastern (k.s.subrubrum), Florida (k.s.steindachneri), and Mississippi (k.s.hippocrepis). I don’t know whether to list info for all the species, only use the specific Mud Turtle listing, or just only put the general info it gave at the top of the section on the entire Kinosternidae family. So hopefully you can understand my confusion. I would ask my partner but she hasn’t done anything at all regarding this event. Thanks!

First of all, you should be using more than just one resource. Field guides aren't always the best, so try using websites like Animal Diversity Web. For that specific situation, you only need to know about the family Kinosternidae. You only have to write information about what is listed on the official list. If it says family, do info about the entire family, not the genera within it (unless those are also listed).

If there are important differences between the genera, then those are also worth noting down

[Reema.panini]

Ok so I actually just got put onto this event cuz the other person dropped out so I really have no clue what to do and my regional comp is in a couple of weeks. I’ve been using the National Audubon Society Field Guide, but I’ve been getting confused because, for example, under Mud turtles, it lists the the species Mexican, Sonora, Striped, Yellow, and then a Mud Turtle with the subspecies Eastern (k.s.subrubrum), Florida (k.s.steindachneri), and Mississippi (k.s.hippocrepis). I don’t know whether to list info for all the species, only use the specific Mud Turtle listing, or just only put the general info it gave at the top of the section on the entire Kinosternidae family. So hopefully you can understand my confusion. I would ask my partner but she hasn’t done anything at all regarding this event. Thanks!

First of all, you should be using more than just one resource. Field guides aren't always the best, so try using websites like Animal Diversity Web. For that specific situation, you only need to know about the family Kinosternidae. You only have to write information about what is listed on the official list. If it says family, do info about the entire family, not the genera within it (unless those are also listed).

If there are important differences between the genera, then those are also worth noting down

Ok thanks! That really cleared it up for me!

[GurtYo]

Have you guys seen an abundance of cladograms on your past tests, or are they farely rare?

[UTF-8 U+6211 U+662F]

Have you guys seen an abundance of cladograms on your past tests, or are they farely rare?

Fairly rare, although be prepared to answer how different genera/families are similar anatomically

[GurtYo]

Have you guys seen an abundance of cladograms on your past tests, or are they farely rare?

Fairly rare, although be prepared to answer how different genera/families are similar anatomically

Will identifying from skeleton also be rare?

[RRapples]

Have you guys seen an abundance of cladograms on your past tests, or are they farely rare?

Fairly rare, although be prepared to answer how different genera/families are similar anatomically

Will identifying from skeleton also be rare?

I've seen skeletons on most tests that I've taken. You should definitely prepare for them.

[BennyTheJett]

What is the recommended layout for binders since you can only have 2 inches of material? Thanks for the help.

[UTF-8 U+6211 U+662F]

What is the recommended layout for binders since you can only have 2 inches of material? Thanks for the help.

It's worth noting that even with two inches, you can still have over three pages per specimen on the list.

[BennyTheJett]

What is the recommended layout for binders since you can only have 2 inches of material? Thanks for the help.

It's worth noting that even with two inches, you can still have over three pages per specimen on the list.

So focus on the list. Is there anything really major outside of the list to take notes on?