The McCracken Lab

More building Soft-Release Pens for Texas Tortoises!
Our core crew and an incredible group of volunteers have put in 100+ hrs racing the seasons to get these pens ready so forfeited tortoises can return to the wild before winter.
Huge thanks to all our partners and landowners making this possible!

On August 16, we’re co-hosting a science-based forfeiture event in Laredo to help get illegally kept Texas tortoises back into the wild safely.

No fines or penalties. Just a path to recovery.

This is the first step in a broader conservation strategy built on years of collaborative research.

TX🐢 - Long-term monitoring sites are key to Texas tortoise conservation.

We’re establishing sites across Texas to study seasonal habitat use, movement, and stress responses using fine-scale GPS and digital radio tracking.

Research approved by TPWD, USFWS, landowners & TAMU-CC.

#texastortoise

Did you know Texas tortoises (Gopherus berlandieri) LOVE to eat prickly pear fruit.🌵🐢The fruit can make up a good part of the tortoises diet. Today (June 21st) is the first ever #TexasTortoiseDay be sure to thank one if you see one in the wild. #texastortoise #texasnative #texasnature

Ph.D. candidate Jacquelyn Tleimat defends her dissertation:
“The tortoise and the pathogen: monitoring disease status, stressors, and spread in Texas tortoises (Gopherus berlandieri)”🐢🦠
#texastortoise #wildlifehealth #DissertationDefense #McCrackenLab #conservationscience #lifesciencestamucc #TAMUCC

🎉 Huge congratulations to Bria Marty on passing her qualifying exams yesterday! She's now a PhD candidate! We're excited to see all the amazing research ahead!🌱🌿🌳 #PhDCandidate #McCrackenLab #TAMUCC #lifesciencestamucc

🌿🌏 Happy World Wildlife Day 2025! 🐸

Today, we celebrate the incredible diversity of life on our planet and the vital role wildlife plays in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Let’s protect, restore, and coexist with nature for a sustainable future!
#WorldWildlifeDay #WWD2025 #BiodiversityMatters

Be sure to catch the student presentations at the Coastal Bend Bays Foundations - Coastal Issues Forum tonight. Our very own Jackie Tleimat will present part of her dissertation research “Machine learning to spot Texas tortoises”.

Happy #WorldWetlandsDay! Wetlands are critical for protecting against floods, filtering water, and providing habitats for countless species. Let’s celebrate and protect these vital ecosystems! 💧🐢 #RestoreWetlands #ConservationMatters #Wildliferesearch

Conservation Jobs Spotlight on LinkedIn: #conservationcareers #wildlifejobs #conservation #earlycareerconservation… 🔍 Essential Job Boards for Conservation Careers Conservation Jobs Spotlight aims to complement these excellent existing resources. We're not reinventing the…

🔍 Essential Job Boards for Conservation Careers

•conservationcareers.com
• conbio.org/jobs
• environmentjob.co.uk
• thezooscientist.com

🦅 US-Focused:
Texas A&M Wildlife Job Board
wfsc.tamu.edu/job-board
USAJOBS (Federal positions)
usajobs.gov
Conservation Job Board
conservationjobboard.com

🐢Where Research Informs Management: The Case of the Texas Tortoise 🐢 Jackie Tleimat (PhD candidate) took science to the public, sharing her research to guide conservation efforts for the tortoise. #ConservationScience #ScienceForCommunity #WildlifeResearch #STEMOutreach #lifesciencestamucc

#wildlifeconservation #wildliferesearch #biodiversity #conservation #steminnovation #herpetology #fieldwork #wildlife #conservationtools #lifesciencestamucc #tamucc

Innovation in Wildlife Research: AHDriFT 🐾 ᚙ 🪣 📸
(Martin et al. 2017) is revolutionizing our wildlife monitoring! 🐾📸 Drift fences paired with cameras to capture images of elusive species without disturbing their habitat. Cutting-edge, efficient, and animal-friendly. 🐍🦎 🐸

McCracken Lab PhD Opportunity - Texas tortoise
Seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD student to join our collaborative and dynamic research team starting Fall 2025. Research on the Texas tortoise (Gopherus berlandieri). tinyurl.com/PhDTXtortoise

Great representation at the Texas Conservation Symposium. Ingleside Sandsheet pond plant communities, Texas tortoise, Texas Scarlet Snake, and the Texas Diamondback terrapin.

Congrats to PhD candidate Jackie Tleimat who was awarded first prize for her talk!
#biodiversity #conservation #research