Each week a “Herper” of the Week is chosen. These individuals come from all sorts of backgrounds but they all have one common interest – “herps” (reptiles and amphibians). Hopefully, you will learn about them and their important work.
This week’s Herper is Dr. Kate Mansfield, associate professor at the University of Central Florida and lab director of the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group. Obviously, her research focuses on sea turtle including their biology, ecology, and conservation. Her recent project was testing solar powered satellite tags on young turtles to track their early dispersal and habitat use.
The UCF Marine Turtle Research Group has done research at the sea turtle nesting sites at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (ACNWR) for over 30 years. The ACNWR is home to over 25% of all nesting sites for green turtles and loggerhead turtles in North America. The group maintains a database about the sea turtles that helps federal, state, and international organizations manage their populations of the turtles.