Every time I teach Herpetology, I ask the students to make a haiku on their final exam that encompasses something they've learned. It needs to include both reptiles and amphibians, and follow haiku rules (3 lines only, with first and last having 5 syllables and second having 7). I thought it was time to start immortalizing these gems. Here, in no particular order, are the haikus of the fabulous and talented herpers of the Cal Poly class of summer 2016!
Frog’s feet greatly webbed Draco’s skin flap opens wide
They glide in the sky
Snake is a noodle
Salamander is slimy
Slimy noodle fun!
Garter in water
The bullfrog fails its escape
Vengeance of locals
Treefrogs have toe pads
Snakes’ ventral scales overlap
They have better grip
Vipers have venom
Newts can carry a toxin
Let’s leave them alone
Some Caudata swim
Some cool snakes can also swim
Lat. undulation
Order Squamata
Order Gymnophiona
Know taxonomy
Snakes do a tongue flick
But salamanders shoot it
Plethodontidae
Aves soar high up
Caecilians burrow deep
Herps rule the world
Treefrogs are so small
Crocodilians are huge
What a crazy range
Rattlesnakes rattle
Amphibians have short ribs
Herping is so fun
Ensatina swim Aspidoscelis are fast
They are hard to catch
Snake’s prehensile tail
Anura’s permeable skin
Pollution in bad
Bullfrogs are spreading
And so are red-eared sliders
Causing extinctions
Golden toads are dead
Tuataras are alive
Humans are evil
Snake strikes naïve mouse
Mama python warms her babies
Golden frog waves bye
Snakebite happens. About 30,000 dogs are bitten by venomous snakes annually in the United States. Our inquisitive companions love to run through thick grass and stick their noses down holes in search of squirrels and other delights. Sometimes they frighten a rattlesnake, which may defend itself with its potent venom.
Ghost got a painful and potentially life-threatening bite to the snout from a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake. He was treated with two vials of antivenom and made a full recovery. Photo courtesy Ashley Ventimiglia.
This photo is scary for us dog-lovers, am I right? We want the best for our canine companions, and will do everything in our power to protect them. There are important aspects to consider if you live in rattlesnake country, and that is the subject of this post. In this post, we cover what to do if your dog is bitten by a rattlesnake, but we focus mainly on things to do (and things not to do!) to prevent snakebite in the first place. But first, a few disclaimers. I am not a veterinarian. I am a PhD scientist and snake expert. Always check with your veterinarian when making medical decisions for your pooch. OK, let's talk about snakebite in dogs. TL/DR: The best way to protect your dog from snakebite is to keep him on a leash, and if he is bitten, take him to the emergency veterinarian right away for treatment with antivenom. Seriously, leash your dog! It keeps him with you on the trail and away from danger. Not only will your dog be more likely to avoid snakebite (and ticks, and poison oak, and foxtails up the nose... I could go on), but wildlife will also avoid being disturbed by your dog. Now let's get into the details. Treatment of Canine Snakebite
Dogs unlucky enough to be envenomated by a rattlesnake or other viper in the United States can be treated with antivenom, the only effective treatment for snakebite in dogs. Most dogs survive bites when treated rapidly with antivenom. A retrospective study on 272 rattlesnake envenomations in the Phoenix, Arizona area found that 97% of envenomated dogs survived the bite. Younger dogs were more likely to survive, and few dogs had allergic reactions to antivenom. Another study found that antivenom stabilized or terminated the effects of the venom. If your dog is bitten, get him to the emergency veterinarian right away. Don't use a tourniquet or ice, don't try to cut and suck the wound, don't do anything but take him to the vet. OK, that's treatment. But what about prevention? Is there anything (other than the underrated, ever so valuable leash) that can help prevent snakebite? The Rattlesnake "Vaccine"
Your veterinarian might tell you there is a vaccine that could help your dog if he is later bitten by a rattlesnake. This vaccine is not supposed to eliminate the need for antivenom treatment, but is marketed as a means of helping your dog survive until you can get to the veterinarian. It might even mean the dog needs less antivenom when he gets to the vet. Photo courtesy WDBJ Virginia.
The vaccine is an injection made using the venom of Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes, which are common in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and the vaccine might provide protection against other viper species, too. The vaccine doesn't break the bank, either (prices vary, but injections are typically about $25, with most dogs needing 2-3 injections). Unfortunately, there is no evidence that the rattlesnake vaccine works.One study found no difference in outcome in snakebitten dogs who had the vaccine and those that did not, a result that was later echoed in another study. A third study showed that mice vaccinated with the drug had some protection against venom from Western Diamond-backs, but little protection against venoms from Northern and Southern Pacific rattlesnakes (the ones that most commonly bite dogs in California). Of course, dogs are not mice, but this is the closest thing to an experimental study that can be done because injecting dogs with the vaccine or placebo, and later injecting them with snake venom to see which survives, would be considered unethical. The rattlesnake vaccine might actually be dangerous for your pooch. First off, if your vaccinated dog gets bitten, take him to the veterinarian! The vaccine is not a substitute for antivenom treatment, and I worry about complacent owners thinking the dog will be fine. The vaccine could be dangerous in another way, too. A recent study reported that two dogs who had received the vaccine exhibited anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction) when they were later bitten by rattlesnakes. Anaphylaxis occurs when the body's immune system overreacts to the allergen (proteins in the venom in this case). Anaphylaxis almost never occurs at first exposure, but rather at subsequent exposures when all the immune cells initially activated during the first exposure explode in activity. The researchers suspected that the vaccine was the "first exposure" that sensitized the dogs to venom proteins, later resulting in anaphylaxis when the dogs were bitten. In other words, it is highly likely that the dogs went into anaphylaxis because of the vaccine.
Rattlesnake Aversion Training
Dogs safely learn to avoid rattlesnakes at aversion training. Photo courtesy Eric Briggs, in Lewiston Tribune.
You might have heard of rattlesnake aversion training, where dogs learn to avoid rattlesnakes. I have never seen data showing that aversion trained dogs are less likely to be bitten by rattlesnakes, but there is little harm in doing the training. Given how efficacious dog training can be, it seems that rattlesnake avoidance training could work very well in some cases. We know pooches belonging to biologists who know to stay away from snakes when joining their masters for field work. However, aversion-trained dogs could still be bitten accidentally (e.g., when running through tall grass), even if they have been trained to avoid the scent and/or warning defensive behavior of a rattlesnake. One paper mentions that this training is “overall unreliable and may provide a false security for snakebite prevention but may be efficacious in a well-trained dog. The only preventative measures are leash walking and avoiding possible snake habitats that have poor visibility." Take home? The training will likely help for many dogs, but you should still take care to avoid accidents when out on the trail. Rattlesnake-Proof Yard Fencing
We've been mainly talking about keeping your doggo safe if you go out hiking. But what about if a rattlesnake enters your yard? While the aversion training might help in that scenario, the bottom line is that your dog is at an increased risk of being bitten if a rattlesnake hangs out in your yard. Solutions that seem easy, like snake repellant sold at home improvement stores, do not work at all. Simply getting rid of a snake (whether by relocating it or killing it) doesn't solve the problem because other snakes will likely also visit at some point. However, there are many things you can do to make your yard less attractive to rattlesnakes. For people who frequently get rattler visitors and are very concerned about pets' and kids' safety in the yard, rattlesnake-proof fencing is available in Arizona and Central Californiaand is an excellent option for keeping your loved beasties safe in the yard. Grand take home? Keep your dog on a leash, and go forth and enjoy the beautiful outdoors! Thanks for reading.
Leashing your dog when out and about is the best way to protect him from snakebite.
Note: This blog was originally published in 2016, but was updated in 2020 based on additional published studies.
Good morning, educators. Who among you has worked for hours to create a stimulating and informative lecture, and halfway through delivering said lecture has looked up to see this?
Students get easily bored in a one-way lecture, when nothing is asked of them.
Wouldn't you rather see something more like this?
Students working together to solve problems stay engaged and enjoy better learning outcomes. Image from http://serc.carleton.edu/.
Me, too. As my class sizes get larger and larger, it gets more and more challenging to engage students in their own learning. However, the days of one-way flow of information from a "sage-on-stage" to students are over. Active learning increases student performance, and plain and simple, as educators we should be promoting pedagogy that allows students to thrive. Harvard Physics Professor Eric Mazur founded Learning Catalytics due to his belief that research into the effects of teaching styles on student learning shows that it is "unethical to lecture exclusively."
Lest you get your hackles up, Mazur does not have a problem with lecturing. He has a problem with only lecturing.
Enter Learning Catalytics, an in-class response system that will keep your students' attention and help them achieve their learning outcomes.
I had used clickers since their inception. But when Pearson bought Learning Catalytics in 2014, I got on board. As a Pearson textbook author, I attend an annual conference where I was able to see Learning Catalytics in action, and I was blown away.
So what is this Learning Catalytics I speak of? The quick answer is that it is a sophisticated program that allows students to use their own web-enabled devices to answer questions during your lecture.
Learning Catalytics has many question types, not just multiple choice. Image from pearsoned.co.uk.
Here is a quick summary of why Learning Catalytics is my choice for engaging my students in the large lecture.
1. Because they use their own phones or laptops, students always come to class prepared. (When I used to use clickers, students would constantly forget them, or they would break or run out of batteries.)
2. Learning Catalytics has many question types, not just multiple choice. I can do everything from asking anatomy students to identify a specific bone by clicking it on an image, to collecting data from hundreds of students conducting an in-class experiment. You can choose from thousands of pre-loaded questions from Pearson products, or you can create your own.
3. Learning Catalytics is very economical. It is free with Pearson book packages, or costs $12 per semester or $20 per year.
4. Learning Catalytics makes my life easier by its flexibility. I use a simple toggle bar to choose the point values of modules (e.g., a class meeting) based on participation and performance. Scores can be uploaded directly into a course management system (Moodle, Blackboard, etc.). I can easily review all aspects of performance, by the entire class or by individual student.
Basically, Learning Catalytics allows me to customize how I use active learning in my course, makes it high-tech, and reduces my workload substantially.
Learning Catalytics has a high-tech yet user friendly interface that students enjoy and faculty can easily employ. Image from https://www.pearsonhighered.com
When I discuss Learning Catalytics with other educators, they express reluctance to try it based on three main issues:
1. Concern about wireless capacity. Students need to be online to use Learning Catalytics, and if your campus's wireless capacity is insufficient, then you will have a problem. Talk to your IT Department before adopting the technology. (Hint: I advise students to use their smartphones instead of computers so that they log in using their data in the event the wireless is overloaded. Learning Catalytics uses very little data).
2. Concern that not all students have a web-enabled device. I have taught thousands of students using Learning Catalytics and I have not had a single student who did not own a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. This will vary by student population. If a large proportion of your students do not have devices, then Learning Catalytics is not for you. (Hint: If you are concerned that some of your students lack devices, talk to your university's media center about a tablet rental or borrow program).
3. Concern about allowing (in fact requiring) computer and phone use in the classroom. Many educators are worried that this will cause distraction and negatively impact student learning. This is valid considering study after study showing that note-taking with electronic devices reduces learning and performance compared to handwriting notes. However, I find that a short and frank discussion at the beginning of the class solves this. I tell students that handwritten notes are best, and obviously using social media during lecture will impact their learning and performance. Many students take this to heart and use their devices solely to answer questions. Also, many students successfully take high-tech, high quality notes on their devices. The fact is that we are in the electronic age, and students are using devices more and more, and in my personal opinion, banning electronic note-taking is out-of-date and out-of-touch. Finally, if students are on social media during a significant portion of lecture, then I would take responsibility for this as an instructor. If you keep them engaged, they will not have time to snapchat.
With proper pedagogy, students can stay engaged in lecture even when they use computers. Image: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Here are some best practices for using Learning Catalytics based on my experience. All classes are different, so your style will be, too.
1. Give some points for performance, not just participation. Students try harder and take the exercises more seriously when their points depend on getting the answer correct. On the other hand, scores based entirely on performance can discourage students who get many answers wrong. I use 50-50 participation and performance.
2. Make the point values significant enough that they can affect students' grades. This encourages attendance and effort, and rewards students for trying very hard (which will hopefully improve their learning and exam performance, too). Points in my classes are worth 5-10% of the final course grade.
3. Deploy many questions during a lecture. If you only ask a couple of questions, you might as well be giving a one-way, traditional lecture. This also helps maintain students' attention span. I try to ask at least 10 questions in a 80-minute lecture.
4. Deploy meaningful questions that ask students to apply their knowledge. I once attended a lecture where the instructor taught a concept then asked students to vomit that concept right back using clickers. I sat in the back and watched as comatose students barely roused their index fingers to answer these questions. This is not effective pedagogy. Instead, ask students questions that involve applying their knowledge to new situations. Tell them to think about it, talk to their neighbor, and then answer. In my opinion, this is the key to helping students learn the material and develop as critical thinkers.
One more thing- Learning Catalytics has an awesome Team-Based Learning mode that I use for certain classes. Click here to learn more about this 100% active learning mode of instruction.
How do you get started? Go to the Learning Catalytics website and register for an account. For more information and technical assistance, contact your Pearson representative.
