Chicago Academy of Sciences Blog
Articles tagged Herpetology
November 24, 2025
Did you know that many fascinating wild snake species live within driving distance of downtown Chicago? This past summer, I encountered over 500 snakes in natural areas across the Chicagoland area as part of conservation research efforts by the Chicago Academy of Sciences, with funding from the Morris Animal Foundation’s grassland wildlife health grant. The research team I was a part of is led by Dr. Sacerdote-Velat, who is the Curator of Biology and Herpetology/Vice President of Conservation Sciences at the Chicago Academy of Sciences and has been studying wildlife in the Chicagoland region for over 20 years. As part of her team, it was my job to search natural areas for snakes, briefly capture them to collect data and samples for laboratory analyses, and safely release them back into their wild habitat.(Important note: All handling of snakes was done under an active research permit and done in a manner that was safe and minimally stressful for the snakes, who were safely released where I found them after I collected samples and data)
July 14, 2025
The Life of Viola: What One Turtle Can Teach Us About Saving a Species
One of the hardest parts of wildlife biology is getting to know your research animals and then losing them. This is a tribute to a very special Blanding’s turtle I’ve known for 10 years who recently passed away. Her story reflects some of the joys and heartbreaks of this work, and how deeply we, as scientists, appreciate the animals that help us learn how to conserve nature.
November 8, 2021
What do snakes do in the winter?
How do cold-blooded animals deal with cold weather? We had lots of questions about snakes in the winter and Dr. Allison had lots of answers! Keep reading to learn about what snakes in Illinois do in the winter when it gets cold. “What do snakes do in the winter? Do they hibernate?” Reptiles, including snakes, and amphibians brumate over the winter. It’s not hibernation, which warm-blooded animals do. Instead, snakes stop eating as the temperature drops, their metabolism slows down, and they look for an underground place to hide from surface temperature changes. Snakes are less active over the winter, but will still come to the surface to drink on warmer winter days, but they won’t eat until spring. “Where do snakes spend the winter?” Snakes overwinter underground in a hibernaculum. A hibernaculum is a place where several hundred to several thousand snakes spend the winter together brumating. Multiple species of snakes can be found in a single hibernaculum. Both juveniles and adult snakes will follow each other’s scent trails to a hibernaculum.
May 31, 2021
One of the most common questions we get is how reptiles, like snakes and turtles, have babies. Do they lay eggs? Do they give birth to live young? Or is it somewhere in between? As it turns out, it depends on the reptile! Let’s take a closer look at the two categories that Chicago-area reptiles fall into.
April 9, 2021
Since early March, curator of herpetology Dr. Allison Sacerdote-Velat has been monitoring various field sites in Lake County. In this special blog post, she’s walking us through the work she’s been doing with her team and sharing some of her amazing observations!
February 15, 2021
How do museums preserve reptile specimens?
In order to better understand reptile and amphibian species, research institutions like the Chicago Academy of Sciences / Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum create and maintain extensive collections of specimens that are fundamental tools for studying our living environment.
February 15, 2021
Snakes, like other reptiles, are covered in scales. They protect the snake, help it move, and aid in camouflage. You have something similar to scales yourself, your fingernails! Made of keratin, hard but a little flexible, your fingernail protects your nail bed just like a scale protects a snake’s body. We’re exploring the different types of scales we can observe on a snake’s body and how those scales are unique.
February 1, 2021
What happens to wood frogs in winter?
In the warmer months, frogs are a common sight in backyards, around ponds, and in parks. But when winter hits, it’s as if they’ve just vanished into thin air! We talked to our reptile and amphibian expert, Dr. Allison, to help us learn more about what frogs, particularly wood frogs, do in the winter.
August 8, 2018
Reintroducing Smooth Greensnakes
July 25, 2018, was an exciting milestone for our conservation team. We initiated our first reintroduction effort of the threatened smooth greensnakes into a privately owned restoration site, managed by the Barrington-based Citizens for Conservation. Partnerships with private organizations like this one allow us to expand the footprint of our reintroduction initiatives in completely new ways. This reintroduction effort is part of the multi-partner Barrington Greenway Initiative, an ambitious project with the objective of linking habitat corridors and increasing biodiversity in the Barrington, Illinois area. Through this initiative, restoration work has been carried out across ownership boundaries to promote and sustain native habitats and wildlife.