Herp Club July: The Ins and Outbacks of Australian Herp Husbandry at the National Aquarium

This presentation will encompass “a day in the life” of a herpetologist in the Australia: Wild Extremes exhibit at the National Aquarium. Topics covered will include species highlights, basic husbandry practices, specialty enclosure setups, species-specific breeding strategies, and animal training & enrichment necessities for a captive care lifestyle. This talk will take you through the innovations and accommodations keeper staff must incorporate into their care routines that satisfy the needs of guest-facing, authentic exhibits and the recreation of ideal habitats based on the Northern Territory of Australia reimagined in downtown Baltimore.
Matthew Benedict is a Senior Herpetologist in the Australia: Wild Extremes exhibit at the National Aquarium. He has worked professionally with reptiles and amphibians for 10 years and has had a lifelong passion for herpetological husbandry, behavior, and conservation. Matthew is most notably known for breeding endangered species of Australian turtles at the National Aquarium and devising clever training and enrichment strategies for turtles and tortoises at the Fort Worth Zoo and Mystic Aquarium as well. His interests go beyond captive care environments with community driven snake & turtle outreach programs, BioBlitz events, and turtle behavioral research. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Connecticut with a degree in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and his master’s from Towson University in Biology.
In person attendance is preferred but this meeting will be hybrid in person and on zoom. If you wish to participate via Zoom, you need to register to receive the link.