National Geographic Blog Wild: Valerie C. Clark

October 15, 2009 2:59 PM

Does Your B.O. Attract Mosquitoes?

Posted By Valerie C. Clark - Biologist

“These mosquitoes really love me! Why aren't they biting you?" The reason why pests bother you, but not the person sitting next to you—or vice versa—probably comes down to a matter of scent.

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mosquitoes

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August 10, 2009 9:42 AM

Guyana Frog Travelogue, Part 2

Posted By Valerie C. Clark - Biologist

In my last post, I began the story of my trip up Guyana's Wokomung Massif to the summit of Mt. Kopinang in search of new frog species. In particular, I was on the hunt for frogs with funky odors that repel would-be predators. I literally had my eye on the one above, a red and black Pristimantis that Bruce Means discovered and described as a new species, prompting us to visit the Wokomung Massif together. In general, bright coloration and bold patterns indicate that a frog might be toxic, and on Wokomung, there were more colorful frogs to discover...

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June 17, 2009 7:35 AM

Guyana Frog Travelogue

Posted By Valerie C. Clark - Biologist

Last time I posted, I promised stories from my trip to Guyana in July 2007. I was on a quest for some of the country's exotic (and toxic!) frogs with collaborator Bruce Means, Executive Director of the Coastal Plains Institute and an adjunct professor at Florida State University.

Tropical rainforest covers more than 80 percent—80 percent—of the English-speaking country of Guyana, bordered by Venezuela, Brazil, Suriname, and South America's northern coast.

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Keywords:

frogs,
Guyana

Category:

Adventure
, Animals

May 14, 2009 1:08 PM

Don't Rake This Leaf

Posted By Valerie C. Clark - Biologist

Lately, National Geographic has helped fund my research on toxic frogs in Madagascar's Ranomafana National Park. On a prior trip to that park, I encountered several snazzy reptiles to admire, including the aptly-named leaf tailed gecko, Uroplatus phantasticus, pictured above.

No, that brown thing in the foreground isn't a leaf—that's really the gecko's tail! This leaf mimic is soft and fleshy and feels like velvet.

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