Madison Harman

Madison Harman MS Candidate

Research InterestsI am broadly interested in wildlife conservation and conservation ecology, with a focus on herpetology, parasitology, and invasive species management. I especially love lizards, snakes, and toads, although all the other creepy crawlies are pretty great too.

Here at the University of Florida (UF) I will be studying the diet, reproductive activity, and parasite loads of Argentine black and white tegus (Salvator merianae). These large, omnivorous lizards are now well-established in much of southern Florida (and have been spotted in parts of Georgia and South Carolina). Due to their generalist diet, they have the potential to severely impact native ecosystems. In Florida they are currently being managed cooperatively by UF, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the National Park Service (NPS), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Education

B.S. with Distinction in Biology, Minor in Psychology - Duke University (2017)

About Me

I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, in a small town called Boone. And while i certainly miss the mountains and the snow of NC, the wetlands of Florida have really grown on me! It's an exciting place with wildlife from all over the world, which unfortunately means there's a lot of work to be done here containing that wildlife. I'm excited to contribute to the preservation of Florida's natural ecosystems and to learn more about both native and non-native wildlife in the process.

If you're interested in my history, my first major research experience was during undergrad, volunteering for two months in the Peruvian Amazon Basin doing herpetofaunal cencusing and starting a mark-recapture study on caiman. It was incredible and really confirmed for me that i was on the right path. The following year i spent a semester abroad in Costa Rica with the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS). There I began my Undergraduate Thesis, studying salinity tolerance in a coastal, freshwater snail (genus: Biomphalaria).

In the three years between undergrad and beginning my masters here, i worked a variety of exciting seasonal positions. I spent six months in Thailand radio-tracking king cobras. I spent eight months with the Herpetology Lab at Archbold Biological Station doing seasonal pond sampling, studying gopher tortoises through radio-tracking and mark-recapture studies, and conducting an experiment on color-change in oak toads. Next I interned with USGS in the Everglades studying pheromone scent trails in Burmese pythons, tracking pythons in Big Cypress NP, and performing necropsies on pythons and tegus. After that, I joined FWC's Non-Native Wildlife Management section and helped manage the Python Action Team Removing Invasive Constrictors (PATRIC). I feel incredibly lucky to have seen so many places and animals, and i can't wait for the next adventure.

In my free time, i enjoy running, hiking, backpacking, herping, photography, gardening, crocheting, and social dance.

Publications

Harman, M. E. A., B. B. Rothermel, and A. H. Greene. Anaxyrus quercicus (Oak Toad). Coloration. Herpetological Review. 51(3):599-560.

Howell, H. J., M. E. A. Harman, and G. L. Delgado. Amphiuma means (Two-toed Amphiuma). Diet. Herpetological Review. 50(3):543.

Howell, H. J., M. E. A. Harman, and G. L. Delgado. Liodytes alleni (Striped Crayfish Snake). Predation. Herpetological Review. 50(3):594-595.

Harman, M. E. A. and M. Master. Rhabdophis subminiatus subminiatus (Red-necked Keelback Snake). Diet. Herpetological Review. 50(3):602.

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