Collecting Ant Specimens with Dr. Jim Wetterer

Last week we talked about the field biology class taught by Dr. James Wetterer. This week he took the class to FAU’s Pine Jog Environmental Education Center. Anne Henderson, the Director of Education, gave students an interactive introduction to the center and took us on a tour. It was very informative. Here are a few pics of that portion of the trip

Students read peer reviewed articles, and discuss field topics in class. The next class is spent out in the field. This lab (field) class, students learned how to collect ant specimens throughout the property of the environmental center. They practiced specimen collection and identification. Once the ants were collected, Dr. Wetterer made the identifications.

Here are the students in action

 Now being a field biologist requires some flexibility, because sometimes things go wrong out there. You also need a sense of humor. Here is a prime example…one student [who will remain nameless] used the wrong end of the ant aspirator and ingested an ant or dirt [we can neither confirm nor deny this incident]!! He was fine and the rest of us got a chuckle.

It is a big property, and more than ants live there. Last year I was lucky enough to find an animal skull. This year students were on the lookout for another…They did not disappoint. If anyone can identify it, please comment. One student also got a great photo of a snake.

All in all it was a great learning experience and it is fun to see Dr. Wetterer in action. He is very passionate about ants and makes every trip a great adventure.