Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum) found during my field work.

Scott Jones

jones603@marshall.edu

Graduate Student at Marshall University

BS in Biology with an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Concentration from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania 2008

About me:

I have always had a strong interest in the natural world and especially the scaly and slimy things within it. I find reptiles and amphibians particularly captivating, which is why I found my way to Marshall University’s Herpetology Lab. I am an Eagle Scout and greatly enjoy being outside and studying animals.

Research:

My thesis is on urban herpetology in and around Huntington, West Virginia. I have six study sites and have spent many hours looking for any reptiles and amphibians that I can find at each one. I record data on each individual animal, including environmental data such as canopy cover and air temperature. I am also gathering data on the vegetation and soil at each study site in order to try and better characterize which of my sites are urban and which are not. I am still gathering data and will need to run data analyses and write my thesis in the near future.

Other Projects:

I am currently working on two publications. One is with my undergraduate advisor from Shippensburg University, Dr. Tim Maret, on cannibalism and kinship in the caddisfly Ptilostomis postica. The second is a Mammalian Species Account for the Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec (Echinops telfairi) with Dr. Suzanne Strait at Marshall.

Curriculum Vitae

American Toad (Bufo a. americanus) and Mountain Chorus Frog (Pseudacris brachyphona) from Wayne County, WV.

Long-tailed Salamander (Eurycea l. longicauda) from Kanawha County, WV.

Northern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen) from Red River Gorge in Kentucky.

Juvenile Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene c. carolina) from Cabell County, WV.

Eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii) from Wayne County, WV.

Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) from Kanawha County, WV.