Introducing: The Turtle Dogs!
This week we are featuring an important part of our team: The Turtle Dogs!
About Brina and Katy K
Brina Gartlan (right) and Katy Klein (left) are veterinary students leading Turtle Team to monitor the health of the Eastern Box Turtle population.Critter Cam (Box turtle edition)
Students in the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at the UIUC College of Veterinary Medicine take our teaching box turtles out to play! Some love it, some hate it.
Dinosaurs or Turtles?
Last week, veterinarians and veterinary students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign performed pre-release exams on Alligator Snapping Turtles (ASTs)! Check out our video to see this endangered species health assessments!
Us? Competitive? Blanding’s Bowl 2019
This week, Turtle Team traveled up north to the land of the Blanding's. For one week each summer, we hold a competition to see who can trap the most Blanding's turtles, an endangered species in Illinois. A turtle tech is paired with a veterinarian (or vet student). The turtle techs are the trapping experts, and [...]
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Ranavirus
This week, Brina and Katy extracted DNA from an oral/cloacal swab and whole blood sample we took from a turtle during turtle team in May. It was tested for Ranavirus using qPCR, and sadly Ranavirus was detected in both samples. This could indicate an outbreak, so turtle team headed back out to the outbreak site [...]
Forbes State Park Turtle Team
Earlier this week, Turtle Team went camping! We traveled to Stephen A. Forbes State Park in Southern IL to catch Eastern Box Turtles. We caught 51 box turtles in two days, thanks to John Rucker and his turtle dogs. Watch our vlog to see how a day in the field works!
Week 2: Salamandering!
This week we spend a day surveying ponds for Silvery Salamander larvae. In February, the adult all female species emerge from underground and head to the ponds to lay eggs. In the late spring and early summer, we look for the larvae. We catch the larvae, sample them, measure them, and release!
Turtle Team Vlog #1
Interested to see how a week of turtle team works? Watch our first vlog to see the process!
Meet the Turtle Team Leaders!
Hi! My name is Katy Klein, and I am a rising third year veterinary student. This summer I am co-leading Turtle Team, a health surveillance program monitoring the Eastern Box Turtle (EBT) population. As well, I am investigating the use of two anti-coagulants, lithium heparin and EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), and their impact on bloodwork. I [...]