Dr. Steven Whitfield
@stevenwhitfield.bsky.social
Conservation | Science | Education. Pro: environment, animals, nature, students, diversity. Anti: extinction, ignorance. He/him/él. 🐸🐢🦎
It’s hot AF right now in New Orleans. But yesterday, I saw several tiny Northern Yellow Warblers. These birds are Neotropical migrants, starting their journey south to the tropics, indicating these summer is soon over. Thanks for the news, little birds. Travel safe.
August 16, 2026 at 12:52 PM
It’s hot AF right now in New Orleans. But yesterday, I saw several tiny Northern Yellow Warblers. These birds are Neotropical migrants, starting their journey south to the tropics, indicating these summer is soon over. Thanks for the news, little birds. Travel safe.
I am excited that New Orleans is about to get real nerdy about amphibians, reptiles, and fish! Welcome everyone to the 2026 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists!! #JMIH2026
July 8, 2026 at 4:50 PM
I am excited that New Orleans is about to get real nerdy about amphibians, reptiles, and fish! Welcome everyone to the 2026 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists!! #JMIH2026
Current US national politics vibes remind me of this in several ways.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Bring Out Your Dead
Alt: Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Bring Out Your Dead. A skit where a medieval man walks around during the plague ringing a bell and calling out to the town “bring out your dead.” The man is filthy. His face is covered in mud. He’s about to have an argument with someone about whether they are dead or not.
static.klipy.com
July 8, 2026 at 12:21 AM
Current US national politics vibes remind me of this in several ways.
NOLA is gonna be real icthyological and herpetological this July! 🐟🐠🦈🐸🦎🐍🐢🐊
I’m giving a public talk in New Orleans- I’m the shark on this flier. Three scientists in town for the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists will give a talk about their research, and then a local improv comedy troupe will create and perform a sketch! Should be fun.
Nerd Night: A Comedic Study of Science
Science + Improv = Nerdy Fun
www.eventbrite.com
June 25, 2026 at 12:48 PM
NOLA is gonna be real icthyological and herpetological this July! 🐟🐠🦈🐸🦎🐍🐢🐊
This 2-page interim report I’m working on is going to put a serious dent in the global biodiversity crisis.
June 15, 2026 at 1:16 PM
This 2-page interim report I’m working on is going to put a serious dent in the global biodiversity crisis.
Real bummer. I loved Coquette.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
www.nola.com/entertainmen...
www.nola.com/entertainmen...
Coquette, a leading voice of modern New Orleans dining, is closing after nearly 18 years
Coquette made an impression from the start back in 2008 and has remained a top New Orleans restaurant ever since. Ian McNulty breaks down why and what has made the restaurant special through the years...
www.nola.com
June 5, 2026 at 10:27 PM
Real bummer. I loved Coquette.
The Tropical Dry Forest of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Currently acting quite rainy…
June 4, 2026 at 7:52 PM
The Tropical Dry Forest of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Currently acting quite rainy…
Im thinking about this (and human diseases that are preventable by vaccines) in the context of shifting baselines. My perceived baseline (and the baseline for lots of folks) is a US with no screwworm and no measles. 1/n
Happy Tuesday! Who's ready to hear about
1. Flesh-eating maggots (mostly go after cattle)
2. They're native to the US
3. The USDA has kept them out of the US since the 1960s
4. But the flesh-eating maggots are making a 21st century comeback. And believe it or not it may be thanks to MAGA.
1. Flesh-eating maggots (mostly go after cattle)
2. They're native to the US
3. The USDA has kept them out of the US since the 1960s
4. But the flesh-eating maggots are making a 21st century comeback. And believe it or not it may be thanks to MAGA.
June 4, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Im thinking about this (and human diseases that are preventable by vaccines) in the context of shifting baselines. My perceived baseline (and the baseline for lots of folks) is a US with no screwworm and no measles. 1/n
Voting feels extra good when your state government is trying to take away voting power.
May 16, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Voting feels extra good when your state government is trying to take away voting power.
I’ve seen this toaster. It’s saved as a trophy behind the scenes by the team that led to this discovery.
Tiliqua rugosa is a species of blue-tongued skink native to Australia that has many names:
Shingleback
Bobtail
'Sleepy Lizard' & my favorite:
Pinecone Lizard.
Let's talk about the time a zookeeper's burnt lunch led to a discovery about how the sleepy lizard survives Australian wildfires.
Shingleback
Bobtail
'Sleepy Lizard' & my favorite:
Pinecone Lizard.
Let's talk about the time a zookeeper's burnt lunch led to a discovery about how the sleepy lizard survives Australian wildfires.
May 9, 2026 at 8:35 PM
I’ve seen this toaster. It’s saved as a trophy behind the scenes by the team that led to this discovery.
Reposted by Dr. Steven Whitfield
Quantifying harm posed by invasive species to animal welfare will reveal a moral problem for so-called "compassionate conservation", which demands protection for even invasive animals.
Is it compassionate to allow invasive rats, mice, cats to injure & kill wildlife?
#bioinvasion #invasivespecies
Is it compassionate to allow invasive rats, mice, cats to injure & kill wildlife?
#bioinvasion #invasivespecies
May 7, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Quantifying harm posed by invasive species to animal welfare will reveal a moral problem for so-called "compassionate conservation", which demands protection for even invasive animals.
Is it compassionate to allow invasive rats, mice, cats to injure & kill wildlife?
#bioinvasion #invasivespecies
Is it compassionate to allow invasive rats, mice, cats to injure & kill wildlife?
#bioinvasion #invasivespecies
What??? WHAT??? I had to factcheck this because it’s so neat.
The 'eyelashes' on a southern ground hornbill would make a model envious, but here's a neat trick:
Those AREN'T eyelash hairs. They're modified FEATHERS.
Let's take a look at these specialized structures & why the southern ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) needs these long velvet veils.
Those AREN'T eyelash hairs. They're modified FEATHERS.
Let's take a look at these specialized structures & why the southern ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) needs these long velvet veils.
April 13, 2026 at 9:28 PM
What??? WHAT??? I had to factcheck this because it’s so neat.
Reposted by Dr. Steven Whitfield
The NSF GRFP is now out! There are 2,599 awardees, which is the most ever—and a big shift from last year which initially halved awardees (1,000 awardees + an additional 500).
I've thrown together a plot to break down the changes by field.
www.research.gov/grfp/Awardee...
I've thrown together a plot to break down the changes by field.
www.research.gov/grfp/Awardee...
April 13, 2026 at 12:02 AM
The NSF GRFP is now out! There are 2,599 awardees, which is the most ever—and a big shift from last year which initially halved awardees (1,000 awardees + an additional 500).
I've thrown together a plot to break down the changes by field.
www.research.gov/grfp/Awardee...
I've thrown together a plot to break down the changes by field.
www.research.gov/grfp/Awardee...
There could be cool space lizards under those moon rocks and we just wouldn’t know unless we send a herpetologist to space. 🚀🧑🚀🌖🦎
April 1, 2026 at 11:37 PM
There could be cool space lizards under those moon rocks and we just wouldn’t know unless we send a herpetologist to space. 🚀🧑🚀🌖🦎
Reposted by Dr. Steven Whitfield
Anyone change over to a heat pump in New Orleans or Louisiana or anywhere warm and humid? My AC guy says don't do it, but getting off LNG, especially with those Delta bills, is something I'd like to do. #nolasky
April 1, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Anyone change over to a heat pump in New Orleans or Louisiana or anywhere warm and humid? My AC guy says don't do it, but getting off LNG, especially with those Delta bills, is something I'd like to do. #nolasky
I was in the field with a couple of UNO undergrads this afternoon for the urban wildlife monitoring program. We heard a ruckus of crows. I explained mobbing behavior and said the crows might have found something cool. We investigated, lucked out, and had some great views of a Great Horned Owl. 🦉
March 25, 2026 at 8:54 PM
I was in the field with a couple of UNO undergrads this afternoon for the urban wildlife monitoring program. We heard a ruckus of crows. I explained mobbing behavior and said the crows might have found something cool. We investigated, lucked out, and had some great views of a Great Horned Owl. 🦉
Swamp milkweed in the yard is getting attention!
March 15, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Swamp milkweed in the yard is getting attention!
I spent a lovely morning joining a local bird group out at Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge. I introduced them to the calls of three species of frogs, which had been causing much confusion because they were not birds.
March 14, 2026 at 11:38 PM
I spent a lovely morning joining a local bird group out at Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge. I introduced them to the calls of three species of frogs, which had been causing much confusion because they were not birds.
As an herpetologist and very professional scientist, I obviously have no idea what an “inch” is or “foot” is, but otherwise this post checks out.
They say you can determine the length of an alligator in feet by estimating the distance from its eyes to its nostrils — an 8" distance means the alligator is 8 feet long. (Or, in metric, 8" = 20.32 centimeters, so that's 20.32 meters long.)
March 4, 2026 at 7:22 PM
As an herpetologist and very professional scientist, I obviously have no idea what an “inch” is or “foot” is, but otherwise this post checks out.
February 24th. The Coral Honeysuckle that I planted in late summer 2024 shows the first signs of flowering. Hummingbirds of the Irish Channel, prepare to feast!
February 24, 2026 at 3:14 PM
February 24th. The Coral Honeysuckle that I planted in late summer 2024 shows the first signs of flowering. Hummingbirds of the Irish Channel, prepare to feast!
As we’re starting fieldwork this week for our endangered Dusky Gopher Frog project, I’m excited to have this website to share some basics about the project.
Dusky Gopher Frogs
Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans is doing a world of good by conservation efforts that protect endangered species, habitats, and nature.We engage the community through our facilities and public...
audubonnatureinstitute.org
February 23, 2026 at 6:13 PM
As we’re starting fieldwork this week for our endangered Dusky Gopher Frog project, I’m excited to have this website to share some basics about the project.
I never knew that floats are so crowded with throws that there’s barely standing room for the riders to stand. This much space is only after 2 hours of organizing. #tucks
February 14, 2026 at 6:40 PM
I never knew that floats are so crowded with throws that there’s barely standing room for the riders to stand. This much space is only after 2 hours of organizing. #tucks
Everything about Muses tonight was phenomenal
February 13, 2026 at 5:18 AM
Everything about Muses tonight was phenomenal
Reposted by Dr. Steven Whitfield
Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin
February 12, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin
Ringed Map Turtles are among the coolest turtles in North America. They only live in the Pearl and Bogue Falaya River systems of Louisiana and Mississippi, and are a threatened species impacted by habitat modifications to the rivers.
Audubon Aquarium Gives Rare Turtles Head Start
Small, colorful turtles only found in just one place in the U.S. are now spending the winter at Audubon Aquarium. The tiny Ringed Map Turtles are only found in the Pearl and Bogue Falaya Rivers runnin...
newsroom.audubonnatureinstitute.org
January 31, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Ringed Map Turtles are among the coolest turtles in North America. They only live in the Pearl and Bogue Falaya River systems of Louisiana and Mississippi, and are a threatened species impacted by habitat modifications to the rivers.