Over the next several weeks, Erika and Maddie will be bringing you along some of our summer adventures, as we work with ornate box turtles, or OBTs for short. We will be going to various locations across Illinois and are excited to share our journey! In this first blog, get to know a little bit [...]
This very cute and lovable Map turtle from Cook County swam its way into the 'Best Turtle of the Week' position! It enjoys holding hands and long swims in the water.
On June 26th, Dr. Adamovicz and Sam joined the Lake County team for Blanding’s Bowl. Blanding’s Bowl is an annual get together between local turtle biologists and the Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory Dr. Matt Allender Jr. the Blanding's turtle to find as many turtles as possible within a week’s time. People are split up [...]
This week, like always, we focused on our beloved lab animals and teaching colonies. The animals include teaching colonies of Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) and Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus), as well as different species of turtles. As future veterinarians, the well-being of all animals in our care continues to be a top priority, even during [...]
You've heard of the Super Bowl. You've heard of the Puppy Bowl. You've probably even heard of the Kitten Bowl! But none of those come even close to the prestige and the legacy of Blanding's Bowl. For those of you that live under a rock, let me explain what it is. Once a year, all [...]
As the summer nears its inevitable end, more and more projects are awaiting their spotlight at the lab. This week, we focused on student projects and preparations for the student that are coming back from the field. And as always, we wanted to share the ins and outs of how to best survive the lab [...]
TT Leaders' Declassified Survival Guide- Disaster Version This week was quite an eventful one. Illinois and neighboring states experienced low air quality due to the Canadian wildfires (did someone say global warming?). Along with the polluted air, the residents of Urbana-Champaign also experienced thunderstorms and power outages that lasted days. These events inspired the special [...]
While the Blanding's continue to nest, we had the opportunity to get some more experiences with Painted and Common Snapping turtles. Usually, when it comes to snappers, Surina shies away but this week, with the encouragement of Nick and Bill, not only did she handle a snapping turtle, but was able to process one from [...]
Here in Cook County, we have two very unique species of turtle – the eastern musk turtle and the spiny softshell turtle. On this week’s blog post, Kami is going to tell you all about these guys! She focuses on these particular species and trying to add to the little that is known about them! [...]
One of the most challenging aspects of being a scientist isn’t what you think it is. Sure, there are infinite puzzles to solve and obstacles to overcome; animals die, and foundations don’t give you the money you think you deserve. Well, those are just hockey players losing their teeth, and that’s just par for the [...]
