Ecological Theory, Fieldwork, and Asking Turtle Questions

CheloniaCast sits down with renowned turtle ecologist Dr. Justin Congdon, Professor Emeritus at University of Georgia. From a comparison of life history between the shortest lived and long-lived turtles, to analysis of the ‘bigger is better’ hypothesis in reference to snapping turtles, Dr. Congdon has done intimate, long-term work with fascinating aspects of chelonian ecology. It is difficult to study long-term shifts in turtle ecology due to long lifespans of individuals, however Dr. Congdon boasts vast data sets spanning multiple decades. The conversation sheds light on some of the deeper findings in prolonged study of the life history of turtles, as well as interesting discussion about turtle lifespans, reproductive strategy, and many other topics.   To see some of Dr. Congdon’s research, visit https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justin-Congdon-2   To learn more about Dr. Congdon's long-term, ongoing, turtle ecology project at the E.S. George Reserve visit: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/esgr/research-projects/turtles-of-the-esgr/   To learn more about the Congdon-Dickson Research Fund named in his honor visit: https://chelonian.org/cdrf/   Learn more about the CheloniaCast Podcast here: https://theturtleroom.org/cheloniacast/   Learn more about the CheloniaCast Podcast Fund here: https://theturtleroom.org/project/cheloniacast-podcast/   Follow the CheloniaCast Podcast on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter @cheloniacast   Host and production crew social media - Jason Wills - @chelonian.carter / Michael Skibsted - @michael.skibstedd / Jack Thompson - @jack_reptile_naturalist_302 / Ken Wang - @americanmamushi / Wyatt Keil - @wyatts_wildlife_photography / Paul Cuneo - @paul_turtle_conservation42 / Alex Mione - @alex.mione / Ethan Hancock - @ethankinosternonlover / Torsten Watkins - @t_0_.e