The Pondcast, Episode 70

The Stars at Night are Big and Bright

, and
with special guest Carl J. Franklin, Texas Turtles

TheTurtleRoom brings you the The Pondcast, Episode 70: The Stars at Night are Big and Bright. An audio-only version is also available for download. Visit ThePondcast.org to learn more about the show.

In This Episode...

Carl J. Franklin, the President of the non-profit research organization Texas Turtles, joins The Pondcast to talk about his myriad experiences in herpetology. Carl is one of the most interesting men in herpetology, having spent time under the stars in locations all across the Americas and southeast Asia. His adventures could fill several episodes of The Pondcast and include a run-in with the Venezuelan military, negotiations with both a Peruvian chieftain and Mexican jailer, cooperation with the indigenous Miskito of Honduras, and accidentally frightening an entire village in Mexico. His field, academic, museum, and husbandry experience combine to give Carl a wide knowledge base of chelonians from all corners of the globe. Currently, Carl’s efforts are focused primarily on the chelonians from Texas as he leads Texas Turtles’ effort to “fill a Texas-sized hole in our knowledge of Texas turtles”. You can learn more about their exciting work at https://www.texasturtles.org/support-1

Carl has held a lifelong fascination and passion for herpetology with a keen focus on turtles. Over the past 25 years, he has worked at the herpetology departments of the Fort Worth Zoo, Dallas Zoo and the Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center at the University of Texas at Arlington. He has assisted in and conducted numerous herpetological scientific collecting expeditions in Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Java, Sumatra and the United States that have contributed to new breakthroughs in science as well as the discovery of hundreds of new species of amphibians and reptiles. Aside from working within the scientific field of herpetology and being included among the primary authors contributing to Texas herpetology, Carl has bred and maintained several species of reptiles and received the Joseph Laszlo award for outstanding contributions in herpetoculture. He is an avid outdoors-man, photographer, frequent speaker for a variety of audiences and has worked with a number of television documentaries showcasing reptiles.

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