WIS 6934—Biology of Snakes
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Instructors: Drs. F. Wayne King & Max Nickerson. Guest lecturers: Drs. Harvey Lillywhite, Joseph Gennaro, and Elliott Jacobson, and Richard Franz. Time and Credit: Usually offered in spring semester. Class meets periods 07-08 (1:55-3:50 PM) — 2 hrs. credit |
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Class syllabus: Students are provided with a list of publications on snake research and management and are responsible for becoming conversant with those topics prior to class. Weekly 2-hour seminar opens with lecture, followed by student discussion of assigned papers (2-3/week). At least two (2) fieldtrips are required: an all-day trip to select localities in north Florida and a Saturday trip to a zoo or serpentarium to view a wide-variety of species.
Students are required to submit a one-page report on the previous week's lecture and class discussion.
| Week |
Topic
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1 |
Course outline & phylogeny of snakes |
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2
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Nomenclature |
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3
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Blood circulation - H. Lillywhite |
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4
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Blood circulation (continued) - H. Lillywhite |
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5
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Locomotion: analysis of patterns and trunk musculature |
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6
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Immune systems/disease - E. Jacobson |
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7
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Integument - H. Lillywhite |
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8
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Midterm exam. |
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9
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Biogeography of snakes |
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10
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Snake feeding and energetics |
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11
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Ecology |
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12
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Venoms and defense: venom apparatuses and venoms |
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13
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Behavior and communication |
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14
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Reproduction |
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15
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Conservation and management |
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16
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Final exam. |
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Final grade is based on:
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