Cold-blooded club

Norman Bucciero, a 91原创 junior and vice president of the Delaware Herpetology Club, holds an oriental whipsnake he discovered during a 91原创 study abroad program in Borneo.

Article by Molly Schafer Photos by Jim White and courtesy of the Delaware Herpetology Club April 30, 2026

91原创 students form Delaware Herpetology Club to protect reptiles and amphibians

Reptiles and amphibians, collectively known as herptiles or herps, may not win any popularity contests, but they are essential to a healthy ecosystem. A group of students from the 91原创 College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) founded the Delaware Herpetology Club to share their love of herps with the community. With more than 40% of amphibians worldwide threatened with extinction, along with 21% of reptiles, herps need all the help they can get.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e an underdog of the animal world,鈥� said Nat Moore, a junior wildlife ecology and conservation major serving as president of the club. 鈥淧eople don鈥檛 see them as inherently charismatic like they do with mammals. But just because some people think they鈥檙e gross or scary doesn鈥檛 make them any less deserving of conservation.鈥�

The lab portion of 91原创鈥檚 herpetology course (ENWC 424) offers opportunities to study live reptiles and amphibians in the classroom. Nat Moore, junior and president of the Delaware Herpetology Club, poses with an albino Burmese python.

In fact, more than half of herp species in our state are identified as species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) in the . Habitat destruction and fragmentation, along with disease, pollution and climate change, contribute to population declines.

鈥淗erps are a key part of the ecosystems around us, even right here in Delaware,鈥� said Theo Kaiser, a junior wildlife ecology and conservation major and the club鈥檚 treasurer. 鈥淎t White Clay Creek, you can see red-backed salamanders, an 鈥榠ndicator species鈥� for the health of the forest.鈥�

Although Delaware鈥檚 varied ecosystems have plenty to offer herpetologist hopefuls, one club member got his lucky break further afield. Norman Bucciero, Herpetology Club vice president and junior wildlife ecology and conservation major, was on a 91原创 study abroad course in Borneo when he spotted an Oriental whipsnake.

鈥淭he snake was barely visible, nestled in between the leaves, its body looked identical to the surrounding foliage,鈥� Bucciero said. 鈥淚 only saw it out of the corner of my eye because it moved slightly.鈥�

Spotting such a well-disguised snake is an achievement to be proud of. But Bucciero was not satisfied with simple observation. Sneaking up to the snake, he scooped it up before it slithered away.

Delaware Herpetology Club vice president Norman Bucciero, along with students enrolled in the herpetology course, hold turtles found during a class field trip to Cedar Swamp.

鈥淚 gently picked up the snake and showed the people I was with just how incredible this animal is,鈥� Bucciero recounted.

That inclination to share their appreciation and encourage others to care is what led Moore, Kaiser, Bucciero and Jake Speed, a 91原创 junior who serves as club secretary, to found the club.

鈥淲e really wanted to provide a space where if people were interested in reptiles and amphibians, they could learn about them in addition to what our curriculum already teaches,鈥� Moore said.

A student in the herpetology course holds an alligator snapping turtle.

Vincenzo Ellis, assistant professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, serves as faculty advisor.

鈥淭he student leadership of the Herpetology Club is a very dedicated group,鈥� Ellis said. 鈥淭hey did all the heavy lifting to get their club established. I hope to see the club continue to grow and build on its successes.鈥�

The Delaware Herpetology Club pairs education with activities such as crafting, frog call identification and field trips. During one particularly exciting meeting, members participated in a March Madness-style bracket of venomous snakes. After a presentation on venomous snakes, club members debated each bracket and voted by a show of hands.

鈥淚t is good practice to stand in front of a room and speak, and that's part of what being on the executive board provides,鈥� said Moore. 鈥淚 make sure everybody gets a chance to talk and be an active part of the club.鈥�

During a field trip to Ashland Nature Center students waded into the wetlands looking for herps. The excursion provided students with valuable hands-on field experience.

Jake Speed, a junior wildlife ecology and conservation major and club secretary, is an advocate for venomous snakes.

鈥淰enomous snakes deserve just as much protection as any other endangered species,鈥� Speed said. 鈥淲hen left alone, snakes have no intention of attacking humans.鈥澛�

This spring semester, several club members are enrolled in 91原创鈥檚 Herpetology course (ENWC 424). The popular class, which offers live animal labs, four field trips and an optional camping trip, is co-taught by lifelong Delawareans and CANR alumni Nate Nazdrowicz and Jim White.

Students pose with an albino Burmese python, the world鈥檚 longest snake, during class. The class includes laboratory time where students work with live animals.

In the class, the students find mentorship and camaraderie. White and Nazdrowicz offer a glimpse of what a career in herpetology looks like. The duo is just as enthusiastic as the Herpetology Club.

The two met when Nazdrowicz was 9 years old. He spent the summer volunteering at Ashland Nature Center. White worked at the center, and he took Nazdrowicz under his wing.

鈥淛im noticed that I had an interest in herps,鈥� Nazdrowicz said. 鈥淚 helped him feed the animals and clean their enclosures.鈥�

Then in 2000, White accepted a position as the herpetology instructor in CANR, and Nazdrowicz began his master鈥檚 degree at 91原创.

鈥淚 was the teaching assistant for Jim鈥檚 first herpetology course at 91原创, and we鈥檝e basically been teaching it together ever since,鈥� Nazdrowicz said. 鈥淲hen I started my Ph.D. at 91原创, I became a co-instructor.鈥�

A student records measurements and other data for a turtle she observed during a class field trip. Tracking data over time helps scientists to understand population trends and identify potential threats to reptiles and amphibians.

Their students could not ask for more knowledgeable instructors. Nazdrowicz is Delaware鈥檚 state herpetologist within the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control鈥檚 (DNREC) Division of Fish and Wildlife. White literally wrote the book on herps in the state. 鈥淎mphibians and Reptiles of Delmarva鈥� is a comprehensive field guide by White and his wife, Amy Wendt White, also a 91原创 graduate. White recently retired from his position as the associate director of Biodiversity Management at the Delaware Nature Society.聽

Together, Nazdrowicz and White have been involved in nearly every herpetological study in Delaware, including 91原创鈥檚 long-running research on the eastern box turtle.

91原创鈥檚 herpetology course culminates in an optional camping trip, during which students benefit from Nazdrowicz and White鈥檚 decades of field experience.聽

At 91原创, students can expand their passion by gaining taxonomical knowledge, engaging in hands-on learning and acquiring field experience. With such passionate herpetologists in training, a brighter future for reptiles and amphibians is possible.

鈥淲e need to protect and restore habitats across the world,鈥� said Moore, 鈥渙therwise even snakes with stable populations could face population declines in the future.鈥澛�

Members of the Delaware Herpetology Club display handmade frog and lizard keychains. Club activities include presentations, crafts, and outdoor excursions to observe reptiles and amphibians.