Professor Matt Gray took students in his Amphibian Ecology Conservation class to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to capture salamanders.
The group disinfected their shoes to kill any pathogens before going to the sampling sites. Each person searching for salamanders received gloves, a net, sandwich bags, and flags. When they found a salamander, students used a net to catch it and place it in the plastic sandwich bag. They then took the salamander to a processing station where Gray, Professor Deb Miller, and other members of the Amphibian Disease Lab collected tail clips and swabbed the salamanders for ranavirus and chytrid fungus infection. The salamanders were then released back to their capture site.
Students disinfected their gloves and nets before finding more salamanders. They spend about 45 minutes capturing salamanders near Sugarlands Visitor Center, Chimney Tops Picnic Area, and Indian Gap. Gray also talked about individual species captured.
UTCVM Clinical Associate Professor Genevieve Bussieres also joined the sampling trip. All animals were handled under the proper permits.
