The Schedule

Welcome Message

Travis Anthony, President of the Virginia Herpetological Society

What drives venom evolution?

Wolfgang Wüster, Senior Researcher/Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory at Bangor University (UK)

Content warning: Presentation may include graphic and disturbing images of venomous bite wounds.

• Accessible Slides in PDF Format

Venomous snakes use their chemical weapons both for foraging (prey immobilisation) and for self-defence against predators. However, the relative importance of natural selection for these different roles in shaping venom composition has not been explored in depth. There is ample evidence from multiple study systems that venom composition often seems adapted to different prey, but selection for defence has remained largely neglected. A recent survey of herpetologists with a history of bites suggest that early severe pain, the main marker of defensive venoms, is relatively rare after snakebites, suggesting a lack of selection for defence. However, the parallel evolution of similar pain-inducing mechanisms in three separate lineages of spitting cobras suggests that selection for defence can play a role in some cases.

Brief Break 9:40 - 9:45 (5 minutes)

Snakes of Costa Rica

Ray Morgan, Film Maker, Asclepius Snakebite Foundation and the African Society of Venimology

Content warning: Presentation may include graphic and disturbing images of venomous bite wounds.

Costa Rica is one of the most biologically diverse places on earth, and its hundreds of species of reptiles and amphibians make it a favorite destination for traveling herpers. Despite being a small country, its diverse habitats, terrain and microclimates mean that you'll never run out of places to explore. This presentation will focus on Costa Rica's snakes — boids, colubrids, pitvipers and coral snakes — particularly those species found in the wet forest area around Lake Arenal.

Break 10:10 - 10:30 am (20 minutes)

Community Hangout

Join us for an opportunity to talk with presenters and fellow VHS members via Google Meet!

History of Antivenom in the United States

Dr. Leslie Boyer, Founding Director, VIPER Institute at the University of Arizona

• Accessible Slides in PDF Format

Antivenom is the general term used to describe products used medically for treatment of bites and stings by venomous creatures. It is typically manufactured by a process of immunization of animals such as horses or sheep, followed by purification of their blood plasma so that the antibodies made by the animals’ immune systems can be used as a drug. The technology was developed in the late 1800s, for antiserum treatment of infectious diseases that were raging across the country—not so different from today’s Covid-19 situation. By the middle of the 20^thcentury, animal antibodies were in routine use to treat people for diphtheria, tetanus, rabies, snakebite and scorpion sting, although there have been shortages and problems along the way. The people involved in responding to these issues have included not just scientists and doctors but also zoo personnel, herpetologists, the US Army, the United Fruit Company, cowboys, government insiders, and a notorious Catholic priest who set up a smuggling operation at the Mexican border. Improvements in manufacturing have resulted in safer products over the years.

Brief Break 11:25 - 11:30 am (5 minutes)

Making the Most of Captivity

Kristen Wiley and Jim Harrison, Owners, Kentucky Reptile Zoo

• Live presentation, so no slides provided

Brief Break 1:35 - 1:40 pm (5 minutes)

"So you got bit": Venomous snake bite envenomations in the US

Ben Abo, EM/EMS Physician, CEO Abo Emergency Consulting and Founding Board Member, Asclepius Snakebite Foundation

Content warning: Presentation may include graphic and disturbing images of venomous bite wounds.

Break 2:05 - 2:25 pm (20 minutes)

A Ten-Year Wildlife Viewing Plan for the Department of Wildlife Resources

Ashley Dayer, Assistant Professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech;
and
Brian Moyer, Deputy Director of Outreach, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources

• Accessible Slides in PDF Format

Wondering what the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is proposing it will do to better engage wildlife viewers? Come learn about Virginia’s Ten-Year Wildlife Viewing Plan – DWR’s first comprehensive plan for engaging with and supporting wildlife viewers. This Wildlife Viewing Plan was jointly developed by an 18-member Technical Advisory Committee, composed of DWR staff, and a 20-member Stakeholder Advisory Committee, composed of individuals and organizational representatives with experience and interest in wildlife viewing in Virginia, including the Virginia Herpetological Society. Virginia Tech conducted interviews and surveys across the Commonwealth to inform the Plan and facilitated the planning process. Soon the Plan will be going out for public comment; come get a sneak peek and learn how you can weigh in on the Plan.

Community Hangout

Join us for an opportunity to talk with presenters and fellow VHS members via Google Meet!

The effects of urbanization on Spotted Salamanders in northern Virginia

VHS Award Winner: Bert Harris, Executive Director, The Clifton Institute

• Accessible Slides in PDF Format

Spotted Salamanders are beautiful and mysterious animals that spend most of their lives underground, emerging only briefly each spring to breed in vernal pools. Spotted Salamanders are long-lived and they have a low reproductive output. Therefore, these salamanders are potentially acutely vulnerable to increased adult mortality, such as roadkill in urban and suburban areas. Clifton Institute scientists, undergraduate researchers, and volunteers partnered to study the effects of urban development on Spotted Salamanders across an urbanization gradient from Arlington to Front Royal.

Break 3:45 - 4:00 pm (15 minutes)

Endless forms most deadly: The dynamic diversification of snake venom and how this influences clinical outcomes

Bryan Fry, Assistant Professor, School of Biological Sciences, Venomics Lab, University of Queensland, Australia

Content warning: Presentation may include graphic and disturbing images of venomous bite wounds.

• Accessible Slides in PDF Format

Q & A

Moderated by VHS President, Travis Anthony

Closing

Travis Anthony, President of the Virginia Herpetological Society