Amphibians and reptiles

We provide expert monitoring services in herpetology using a variety of methodologies that account for the diversity, behaviour and habitat of these species to obtain a comprehensive understanding of amphibian and reptile populations in various environments, aiding informed decision-making and contributing to environmental conservation/restoration.  

 

      Our methodologies:

  • Survey and Census Techniques: Visual encounter surveys, auditory call surveys (for frogs and toads), pitfall traps and drift fences, funnel traps, cover object searches, artificial refuge, night surveys, capture-mark-recapture.
  • Breeding and Reproductive Studies: Egg mass surveys, larval surveys (e.g., dip-netting for tadpoles), monitoring of breeding sites (e.g., ponds, wetlands), clutch size estimation, nesting site identification and monitoring, tracking breeding migrations, assessing reproductive success, monitoring metamorphosis rates.
  • Movement Patterns and Population Studies: Radio-telemetry for tracking movements, GPS tagging, PIT tagging for individual identification, capture-mark-recapture for population estimation, migration tracking, dispersal studies, survival rate analysis.
  • Health and Disease Monitoring: Disease screening, parasite load assessments, necropsy of deceased individuals, physiological health assessments such as body condition scoring.
  • Thermal and Hydration Ecology: Monitoring body temperature regulation, assessing habitat thermal profiles, studying behavioural thermoregulation.
  • Diet and Feeding Behaviour: Analysis of stomach contents, faecal sample analysis, observation of foraging behaviour, prey availability studies.
  • Habitat Use and Preferences: Microhabitat assessment (e.g., moisture levels, temperature), vegetation structure analysis, aquatic habitat quality assessments (e.g., pH, salinity, pollution levels), shelter availability studies, mapping of critical habitats like breeding ponds or hibernacula.