Hello Everyone!

[blakemarkwell]

Hello fellow Caudata fanatics,

My name is Blake Markwell. I reside in Decatur, Illinois and have had a long time passion for all native herps and fishes. My primary interest is in fishes native to the eastern United States, especially all the endemics in the Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee region. However, I get out and do a good amount of herping as well.

I am currently a junior at Millikin University with a major in Biology and minor in Chemistry. After that, I would love to head to a graduate school down south to experience the rich native biodiversity and of course focusing somewhat on school to hopefully get a graduate degree in Zoology with a focus on Ichthyology and Herpetology.

I have had a long time passion for Ambystoma, Plethodon and Siren species, however, have only recently began an interest in keeping them. I found this place by searching information on the ever famous Ambystoma mexicanum, however, found an ample amount of information on other species as well.

I hope to become an active member in the Caudata community and abosorb the ever lasting knowledge that this forum has to offer and to give advice when I can to add to that knowledge.

Hope I have not bored you yet, I look forward to my future here and am glad I found it,

Blake

 

[big a little a]

Hi Blake

Welcome to the forum! Do you keep any caudates at present? Or are you planning to get some...and if so, what species?

Zoe x

 

[blakemarkwell]

Hi Blake

Do you keep any caudates at present? Or are you planning to get some...and if so, what species?

Zoe x

Sorry if what I wrote read funny, I have plans on keeping some in the near future. I have kept many herps before, just none at the present moment. Having plans on moving away to graduate school keeps me waiting to set up a "herp room", I know that I would just have to tear it down in a year or two anyways.

However, I would like to stick to species that are native to eastern North American and some Ambystoma mexicanum (just because it is awesome to keep a neotenic mole salamander that you can actually see, A. maculatum, A. texanum, etc.... once adults just seem to bury themselves and are rarely seen)