🎶 I'm a ha-py, hap-py herp; oh, just a happy, happy, happy herp 🎶 🐍 We're as giddy as this garter snake to celebrate #NationalWildlifeDay with some of the specimens Assistant Curator of Herpetology Sara Ruane and Lead Conservation Ecologist Michelle Thompson have spotted out in the field this summer. ☀️ With the help of five student interns, Sara and Michelle kicked off a long-term re-survey (AKA a headcount) of the reptiles and amphibians that call the forest preserves of Will County, Illinois home. Swipe to see a fox snake and blue salamander: two more of the herps they've happened across. 🦎 Sara, Michelle, and their team's work will help build a genetic resource library that will help future researchers understand the genetic diversity and gene flow of this area. 🧬 📸: Sara Ruane & Michelle Thompson