Netherlands Symposium 2019

Matt Gives Talks at the Venomous Snakes as Flagship Species Symposium

Last Tuesday, Alexus Cazares and Matt Goode traveled to the Netherlands for a three-day symposium about Venomous Snakes as Flagship Species at the Burgers' Zoo in Arnhem, NL. This symposium was dedicated to current research being done on venomous snakes all around the world and how some of these species can be used as ambassadors for conservation efforts. On the first day of the symposium, Matt Goode gave a talk on the Ecology and Conservation of King Cobras (Ophiophagus hannah) in India and Southeast Asia in front of about 200 university students. This "student day" was an excellent opportunity for young scientists to meet well-known herpetologists, hear about ongoing reptile research, and learn about how they can get involved. The second and third day of this symposium was filled with talks by researchers from the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, toxicology, and embryology. On the third day, Matt gave second talk on What's It Like to Be a Tiger Rattlesnake (Crotalus tigris) and the importance of long-term, natural history-based research. Overall, this symposium was a great opportunity for Alexus and Matt to interact with scientists from all over the world and hear about the exciting, new research being done!