Dr. Maik Damm 🐍

This year the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists is happening in New Orleans!

You can now submit abstracts for talks and posters until April 10th (link below and in the bio).
We hope to see many of you at the meeting!

jmih.net/abstract-submission-system/

Ecuador: Parlament erlaubt Bergbau auf den Galápagos-Inseln Auf den Galápagosinseln soll künftig der Abbau von Rohstoffen möglich sein. Nach der Abstimmung im Parlament protestierten in der Hauptstadt Hunderte Menschen gegen das umstrittene Gesetz.

„Ecuadors Parlament erlaubt Bergbau auf den Galápagosinseln“

FÖRDERENTSCHEIDUNGEN und TERMINE 2026 25.-26.03. Senat / Hauptausschuss 27.03. neue / verlängerte Forschungsgruppen 27.03. neue Schwerpunktprogramme SPP 15.05. neue / verlängerte SFB 01.06. neue / verlängerte Graduiertenkollegs 29.06.-01.07. DFG-Jahresversammlung in Bonn 29.-30.06. Senat / Hauptausschuss 01.07. neue / verlängerte Forschungsgruppen 01.07. DFG-Jahresbericht 2025 16.-17.09. Senat / Hauptausschuss 18.09. neue / verlängerte Forschungsgruppen 16.11. neue / verlängerte Graduiertenkollegs 26.11. neue / verlängerte SFB 09.-10.12. Senat / Hauptausschuss 10.12. Forschungsimpulse FIP 11.12. neue / verlängerte Forschungsgruppen

Termine! 📅 2026 tagen die DFG-Gremien turnusmäßig wieder 4 Mal – und beraten sich über Anträge in der Einzelförderung, von Forschungsgruppen und andere Entscheidungsvorlagen. Die Ausschüsse der Graduiertenkollegs (GRK) und Sonderforschungsbereichen (SFB) kommen an gesonderten Terminen zusammen.

Read his blog https://iobopen.com/2025/03/09/in-awe-of-a-serpent/ watch his author YouTube https://youtu.be/wuCPFkj4e5M?si=nqMvt2ZhmShCDTIG

Congrats Tucker Heptinstall - 1st ever winner of the IOB Best Student Paper winner! @doc-brock.bsky.social lab
see his science & amazing photos via
tuckerheptinstall.weebly.com
&
read his co authored paper
doi.org/10.1093/iob/...

& watch his thank you YouTube
youtu.be/n6sszCzChuA

#herpetology

I am excited to share my new book, California Amphibians and How To Find Them, hot off the press from Heyday Books and ready to help guide your wet winter frog and salamander adventures! It is available now from my website or Feb 3 at bookstores.

www.centralcoastsnakeservices.com/shop.html

#NewPaper on a conspicuous Bothrocophias sp. finding from the lowland forests of the Ecuadorian Chocó.
#herpetology #biogeography

Find the paper here:
herpetologynotes.org/index.php/hn...

‘Magical’ galaxy frogs disappear after reports of photographers destroying their habitats Researcher in Kerala rainforest sounds alarm after being told frogs had died after being handled by humans

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

@jlugiessen.bsky.social
@fraunhofer.bsky.social

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-32525-6

🐍💉 Ketamine in Snake Venom 🧪
... sounds strange? Our recent #AnimalVenomics #MassSpec publication, shows anesthetics and secretion enhancers, incl. their metabolites ends up in the venom.

🔓Damm et al. 2025 doi.org/10.1038/s415...
In @natureportfolio.nature.com Scientific Reports

Funded Master's position in Rattlesnake Biology at Cal Poly SLO

jobs.rwfm.tamu.edu/view-job/?id...

Please share!

Large model of a green caterpillar, the back of which is covered by dozens of white cocoons. Wasps can be seen emerging from some of the cocoons.

Spookiest decoration at the "Zoo Goes Boo" event at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids? Giant model of parasitoid wasps hatching from cocoons affixed to their caterpillar host.

Illustration of a coiled rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) with a thick body and distinct diamond-shaped patterns along its back. The snake's head is raised and slightly turned, showing detailed scales and facial markings. Its tail features a prominent segmented rattle, characteristic of rattlesnakes. The image is rendered in neutral tones on a plain background, emphasizing the texture and pattern of the snake's scales. The style reflects 19th-century scientific illustration focused on anatomical accuracy.

🐍 North American herpetology: .
Philadelphia: J. Dobson, 1836-1840..

[Source]

+++ Hissscord🐍 NEWS +++

Second call for joining our server! 🐸
Hissscord is open to everyone in the scientific herpetological community, from students to established researchers.

💬 DM me for an invite to the Discord channel, or reach out via email: hissscord[at]gmail.com

Please share!📣

🦎+🐍=?

A potential missing link: Breugnathair elgolensis gen. et sp. nov. (Benson et al., l2025) has a varanid body and head with snake-like teeth and jaw.

#SnakeScience 🧪🐍

Come work with me on reptile brain evolution! 🦎🧠🐍

A 3d rendering of a CT scan of a Rio Cauca caecilian with transparent body and bone colored skeleton, showing 7 baby caecilians inside, each rendered in a different color - counter-clockwise from tail to head - red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, dark blue, purple.

Say hello to Florida's newest established species, Typhlonectes natans - the Rio Cauca Caecilian! You can read about their relative abundance, distribution, & natural history, in our brand new paper:

journals.ku.edu/reptilesanda...

Here is one individual I CT scanned that had 7 babies inside!

I’m setting up a Discord server for young herpetologists, derived from an idea at #SEH2025. The goal is to create a space for quick help, collaboration, and networking. If you’d like to give input or get involved, let me know!

#herpetology

A section about Zootoxinology would be nice, for toxins from venoms and poisons.

Last week: #SEH2025 in Bonn!
I met so many old and new friends from around the world, a great experience!

I presented by #postdoc work on the venom of the small "non-venomous" #hognose #snake, Heterodon nasicus.
Thanks to the @dfg.de Walter-Benjamin program

#venomics #zootoxinology

#SEH2025 what a week!
Plenty of great talks, lovely people and chats…
Also presented a poster on our Grass Snake project in Berlin.

Spiders learn to trap glowing fireflies then use them as bait to catch dinner Taiwanese spiders exploit firefly bioluminescence as bait, keeping trapped fireflies alive to attract additional prey.

Spiders 🕷️ learn to trap glowing fireflies 🪲💡 then use them as bait to catch dinner 🍽️

www.earth.com/news/spiders... @earthdotcom.bsky.social @animalecology.bsky.social 🧪

A photo of 10 art prints of a series that depicts skulls of dinosaurs alongside birds that currently live where the fossils of those dinosaurs are found. Depicting Cryolophosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Deinonychus, Carnotaurus, Ceratosaurus, Allosaurus, Spinosaurus, Irritator, & Velociraptor.

A photo of 10 art prints of a series that depicts skulls of dinosaurs alongside birds that currently live where the fossils of those dinosaurs are found. Depicting Cryolophosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Dilophosaurus, & Deinonychus.

A photo of 10 art prints of a series that depicts skulls of dinosaurs alongside birds that currently live where the fossils of those dinosaurs are found. Depicting Ceratosaurus, Allosaurus, Spinosaurus, Irritator, & Velociraptor.

All 10 of the Dinosaurs Survived series...so far.

Series One:
Cryolophosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Dilophosaurus
Deinonychus
Carnotaurus

Series Two:
Ceratosaurus
Allosaurus
Spinosaurus
Irritator
Velociraptor

Series Three...?

www.emmalerae.com/store.html

Illustration of a Cretan giant centipede - a long, many-legged creature with orange, purple and bluish body segments, pale yellow legs and dark orange jaws.

#SciArtSeptember 11 - Venomous

Whoops, I forgot to post this yesterday.

Cretan giant centipede (Scolopendra cretica). Though almost all endemic mammals of the Mediterranean islands are extinct, there is still numerous unique species to preserve: reptiles, arthropods, plants and so on.

The second day of #SEH2025 kicks off with a plenary talk from @markscherz.bsky.social on why miniaturisation in amphibians is a big deal. #Herpetology #Amphibians

Convergent Evolution!

Cool, danke dir ^^

Danke dir! Bin immer noch dabei herauszufinden wer eigentlich alles von Twitter auch hier ist 😅

⚠️🐍⚠️

Our snakebite survey (in english, spanish and german) will be online until the end of month. Please report your bites and share the links.

🐍⚠️Bitten by a #Hongnose or other non-front fanged snake?⚠️🐍

Please report your bite in this survey, where I want to learn more about their bite consequences and symptoms.

English: shorturl.at/fI3hC
German: shorturl.at/Es5rz
Spanish: shorturl.at/vLjbc

Feel free to share the survey links!

📄 New Publication by our Animal Venomics Lab! 🐍🐸🕷🐝🪸

We mapped the architecture of animal #toxin systems by #MSImaging. First overview of MSI in #zootoxinology and future applications.

🔓#OpenAccess
Damm et al. 2025 - doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...

#MassSpec #venom
@LuddeckeTim @Fraunhofer