Master Herpetology (Free University of Brussels, VUB)

To those of you who were planning on attending the party today: please note that we've postponed it until January! (This way, no one has an excuse not to show up.)

A few weeks late for Christmas, or several months too early? You be the judge.

Whatever your festive inclinations, we here at AMFI hope that these holidays are filled with nothing but happy fun times for all of you!

It may be hard to believe, but here we are again, at the end of yet another semester - and the year. Of course, no celebration would be complete without our annual Christmas party, to be held at AMFI this Thursday 19/12 starting at 15h30.

New students, old students, vaguely student-like entities... all are welcome! As long as you contribute with vast quantities of deliciousness and indicate as such using this link, anyway.

Herpetology Xmas 2019 Sheet1 Name,Food,Drink

Summer has finally made its unabashed debut this year, which can only mean one thing: exam period is almost over! Just keep on trudging a little while longer, and before you know it, you will be free to prance and skip and frolic* on your sunny holiday escapades.

(*Everything has been reminding me of The Sound of Music lately. Apologies.)

Attention, good citizens! We need YOU! Specifically, to vote.

As you may recall, our very own Margo Maex recently obtained her PhD from the Amphibian Evolution Lab on the subject of salamander s*x pheromones. Now, she has been nominated for the New Scientist Talent award, which seeks out young and highly ambitious researchers from across the Netherlands and Flanders. We fellow herp-lovers must rally together and vote for her, and thus raise these amphibians and their seductive chemical cocktails to the highest echelons of scientific recognition - where they belong.

Go forth and vote. You won't find a more (salamander-)s*xy candidate.

Margo Maex - New Scientist Margo Maex is genomineerd voor de titel New Scientist Wetenschapstalent 2019. Lees hier over haar onderzoek en breng uw stem uit.

If you're here, you're no doubt invested in the wellbeing of our planet, as well as the devastating consequences of climate change. Which brings us to our grand announcement: introducing ‘Klimaat Project’ (http://www.climateproject.be), an initiative that aims to reconnect two Natura 2000 areas in the southwest of Brussels. By restoring forests and swampland, this project will assist in mitigating the effects of global warming in the purest form: by creating nature.

A second objective of Klimaat Project involves supporting education on how to implement ecologically integrated farming practices, and thus promote sustainable agriculture. And in case you needed a herp-related angle: this project was initiated by two of our VUB herpetologists!

Like, share, spread the word! You too can be a part of building the landscape of the future. How's that for a tagline?

Klimaat Project Climate & Nature compensation plan

Man, have we got a stellar pre-weekend lineup in store for you...

This Friday (March 15th), we'll kickstart things with a special guest lecture entitled "Evolutionary convergence: stories of venoms and poisons in the animal kingdom" by Dr. Nicholas Casewell, who is a leading authority in the field of toxin evolution and snake venom research. The talk will be held at 10h00 in room F.5.203, and will basically be awesome.

But wait, there's more! At 16h00 in the afternoon, our very own Herpetology Master alumnus, Tijn Raaijmakers, will publicly defend his PhD thesis, "Poison from a frog’s perspective: Elucidating the adaptive role of skin-secreted peptides in anti-predator defence". Below is a sneak preview of what you can expect. Killer stuff, right?
..or is it? Find out this Friday at 16h00 in room D.0.07!

You've no doubt seen the headlines by now, but just in case, allow us to beat you over the head with it: quick, what does your favorite phylogenetics professor have in common with this previously unknown microhylid frog from India? Why, they're both named Franky! Ta-daaa.

Now that we've made the dramatic reveal, take a moment to gaze upon Mysticellus franki, or Franky's narrow-mouthed frog, which was recently discovered in the Western Ghats by Franky (the professor's) former PhD student, Prof. SD Biju. That right there is how you know you've made it in life.

Look at that dignified, yet ever so slightly world-weary squint. This frog has seen things. The rigors of academia, perhaps?

The end of the exam period may be in sight, but wait! Before you retreat inside your cocoons full-time to stave off these cold winds, be sure to turn up on Monday 4th February to cheer on your fellow herpetology students during their Master thesis defenses. Starting from 13h30 onwards, you will be regaled with riveting accounts of frogs and toads and salamanders - oh my!

That's Monday the 4th, 13h30, room E.0.05. Be there.

Did you know that exposure to extreme altitudes can result in delirium*? That might explain why our students appear so downright giddy while sampling specimens way up high in the mountains of Podocarpus National Park, Ecuador, as part of the Field Trip Herpetology course. During the 2018 edition of this annual excursion, our young herpers traversed the vast Andean wilderness, pausing intermittently to both gaze upon its bountiful wonders as well as to gasp, wheeze, and generally try to breathe at 4000 m.

And yet, they've never looked happier.

(*Hufner et al. 2018. Yes, I looked up research papers specifically for the purpose of this status update.)

A tale for the ages: to get you through the mid-week exam slump, here's a heartwarming romance novella about Romeo, the world's loneliest frog, who may have just found his Juliet after an intensive decade-long search. Seheuncas water frogs (Telmatobius yuracare) have finally been encountered in the Bolivian wilderness once again, offering a valuable chance for the species to be restored. Let us rejoice for Romeo, and hope that that he is rewarded with a happier ending than his Shakespearean namesake. Love perseveres!

World's 'loneliest' frog gets a date Scientists find a Juliet for water frog, Romeo, once thought to be the last of his kind in the world.

Welcome to a brand new year of herpetological goodness! Now that you've had adequate time to recover from all the holiday feasting and commemorative hangovers, we hope your exam preparations are coming along awesomely. Make us proud, young herpers.

For inspiration and sweet, sweet nostalgia, gaze upon your carefree smiles from the days of yore (aka the Christmas party three weeks ago).

You may think that you've been adequately dazzled by all the Christmas festivities around Brussels this time of year, but you'd be wrong. The party will only really get going next week, during our annual end-of-year celebrations. For your final assignment of 2018, all Herpetology students should come by AMFI at 16h00 on Thursday 20th December.

The entry fee consists of food. Bring lots and lots of food.

Who among you grew up on a steady diet of nature documentaries and Indiana Jones? What's that - all of you? Say no more!

Our in-lab researcher and full-time professional adventurer, Philippe Kok, will appear in a documentary on "Canvas" at 8pm this Sunday, the 9th of December. There may be no raiding involved, but you will get to live vicariously through Philippe's exploits as he traverses the rarely seen but breathtaking landscapes of the Venezuelan tepuis. There will be suspense and excitement, intense emotion, foreboding spirituality, and tiny frogs. Lots and lots of tiny frogs.

The episode will be viewable online until the 8th of January: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnu/kanalen/canvas/

(Although the series itself is in Dutch, all of Philippe's segments are in English. Rejoice!)

It's time for our biggest announcement of the year: one of our own, Margo Maex, will be publicly defending her PhD thesis this afternoon (Friday November 9th) at 16:00h, in auditorium D.0.05.

As the weather gets chilly and the nights grow longer, come on over and get cozy as you are whisked away on a journey spanning millions of years, and unfolding into the greatest chemical love story known to man (about newts). There will be pheromones, s*xually confused newts, Jane Austen references, and so much more. Join us for an afternoon of hot, hot amphibian romance.

Friends and fans of newts*, rejoice! For this Thursday, on 8th November, Dr. Heather Eisthen (Michigan State University) will be presenting a talk at the VUB about some of her research. The lecture, titled "Toxic relationships: Production, detection, and resistance to TTX in rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa)", will be held in room E0.10 at 10h00.

* so basically, that means all of you are expected to show up.

Hear ye, hear ye! Tomorrow, Frank Pasmans (Wildlife Health Ghent) will be coming to the VUB to discuss amphibian and reptile diseases. You know when and where: Tue 23/10, 14h-17h, room F6.55.

If you've ever felt inclined to skip a lecture... well, make sure it isn't this one.

Did you apply for our program this year? If not, maybe you need a little more insight into just what goes on around these parts. Right now, our students are learning how to describe a frog species as part of the course “Systematics, Phylogeny and Natural History of Amphibians”. You can see them hard at work here, set amidst a dramatic backdrop of skulls and bones.

Yes, herpetology is pretty heavy metal.

A Master thesis can be fraught with many trials and tribulations, but the rewards are often just as great. One of our students, Yousri El Adak, recently published his research on armored lizards in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Armored lizards, you guys. To all the naysayers: here's your proof that academia is, indeed, badass.

On dangerous ground: the evolution of body armour in cordyline lizards Animal body armour is often considered an adaptation that protects prey against predatory attacks, yet comparative studies that link the diversification of these allegedly protective coverings to differential predation risk or pressure are scarce. Here, we examine the evolution of body armour, inclu...

Just when you thought the opportunities for lab-endorsed drinks were over...

A new academic year is on the horizon, and with it comes a brand new group of wide-eyed and hopeful new students who will be joining our merry herping family. The very first class of the semester, 'Amphibian Natural History', is scheduled for Tuesday 25/9 at 14h00. But, because we are proponents of a more Belgian-themed inauguration event, the fun learning will stop at 16h00 so that the fun drinking can take over.

All students, alumni and professors in our program are invited to the Amphibian Evolution Lab to mark this occasion!

Urgent announcement for all herpetology students! There will be a drink at 16h00 today in the complex, to help set the tone for all the celebratory alcohol consumption that will inevitably follow.

(We know this is very last minute, but, you kids all have your smartphones for a reason.)

To our students who will be defending their Master theses tomorrow: go forth and make us proud! To those who are free from such burdens: lucky you. But also, do pass by room D.1.08 from 9.00 to 14:30 on Monday to support our near-graduates, and maybe learn a thing (or several) in the process!

Are there nights when you stay up late pondering over the intricacies of salamander courtship rituals? Well, look no further: our lab has just published a paper in Current Biology that describes the birth and evolution of a newly discovered pheromone, aptly named persuasin.

That's right. The answer is a s*xy salamander scent.

We'd tell you to alert the media, except the press is already all over this:
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2018/09/06/vub-biologen-ontrafelen-de-oorsprong-van-een-seksferomoon-van-ee/

Exaptation as a Mechanism for Functional Reinforcement of an Animal Pheromone System Animal s*x pheromone systems often exist as multicomponent signals [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11] to which chemical cues have been added over evo…

Calling all lovers of frogs and speakers of Dutch: tune in tomorrow (6th August) to VRT's Radio1 at 12pm for an hour-long session about how frogs are stronger than dinosaurs. Yes, really. The program is called "Weet ik veel" and stars our very own Prof. Kim Roelants! Your Monday just got a whole lot more interesting.

Kikkers zijn sterker dan dino’s Tweehonderd miljoen jaar aan een stuk kwaken, en al die tijd nauwelijks van uiterlijk veranderen. Kikkers kunnen dat.

What do Jesus and salamanders have in common? Well, in a hilltop basilica in Mexico, they are both equally at home and ardently loved. This convent houses the largest captive colony of endangered achoques (Ambystoma dumerilii), which are only found in the increasingly polluted waters of Lake Pátzcuaro. The amphibians are under the custody of a dedicated group of nuns, who recognize the conservation imperative in their work and serve both their faith and the 300 salamanders in their care with an unyielding devotion.

Check out this New York Times piece for some surreal photographs:

Vanishing in the Wild, These Salamanders Found Refuge in a Convent The achoques have nearly disappeared from Lake Pátzcuaro in Mexico. A colony in the care of Dominican nuns offers hope the species can be saved.

We're always preaching to you about how cool amphibians are. Well, here's some more objective proof: a raver frog. Herpetology is LIT.

Watch This Frog Light Up After It Swallows a Firefly A frog in Florida gulped a firefly, and video footage captured the insect still flashing its light from inside the frog — perhaps signaling a final SOS.

With the World Cup adrenaline rush winding down, perhaps you've started giving some thought to the more existential, non-FIFA-related questions that plague us, such as: what do I do with my life after graduating from the Herpetology program? One former student, Gwij Stegen, answered this by recently obtaining a PhD in which he investigated disease dynamics of a fungal pathogen in fire salamanders. When in doubt, save the salamanders! Be a hero.

Just two more days to go until the summer holidays officially begin! Before you scuttle off campus to bask in the sun like a scaly poikilotherm, however, be sure to support your fellow biology Master students during their thesis defenses, scheduled for this Friday the 29th of June in room D2.12. PROTIP: there will be frogs.

In case you missed it: watch as our very own Prof. Kim Roelants performs a (possibly) death-defying stunt by drinking snake venom in front of a live studio audience*.

*For those who don't understand Dutch: don't worry, he's still with us.

Waarom mag je slangengif drinken? In sommige talen maakt men een onderscheid tussen twee soorten gif: in het Engels spreekt men over ‘venom’ wanneer gif via een wonde in het lichaam terechtko...

The end of the academic year is in sight. Only a few exams stand in the way between you and a summer of carefree frolicking. Who will survive?

(All of you. The correct answer is all of you.)

Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger Survivor's official music video for 'Eye Of The Tiger'. Click to listen to Survivor on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/SurvSpot?IQid=Surv... As featured on Ultim...

Have you always been fascinated by reptiles and amphibians? Does the sight of an iridescent snake or a grumpy frog light up your eyes? Do you want to immerse yourself in a study program where you'll be taught by some of the world's leading researchers in herpetology?

Then look no further! We now accept applications for the Herpetology Master program 2018-2019! Find out more about our courses (which start in October) and the requirements on our website: http://www.herpetology.be/

If you still have questions, feel free to contact [email protected] or this page for more details. Until then, gaze upon this shiny poison frog, Dendrobates leucomelas, and feel inspired.

Home This master provides young students a unique opportunity to become a professional herpetologist while studying in the center of Europe