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Presenting at Eastern… a reptile older than dinosaurs
The public is invited to hear Dr. Jim Gillingham, professor of biology at Central Michigan University, tell the story of the Tuatara – a reptile that pre-dates the di
nosaurs and can still be found today. The presentation will be May 6 at noon at Ohio University Eastern Campus in the Shannon Hall Theater. Admission is free.
The Tuatara is a highly endangered reptile found only in New Zealand. “As a forerunner to the dinosaurs, it has changed little in the past 300 million years and is therefore considered to be a ‘living fossil’,"said Gillingham.
Gillingham will describe the social and reproductive behavior of the Tuatara. His innovative use of realistic radio-controlled models of the Tuatara and video-imaging has provided insight into how this reptile responds and behaves during courtship, mating and aggressive situations.
“Dr. Gillingham is an entertaining and enthusiastic presenter,” said Dr. Mark Waters, associate professor of biology at Ohio University Eastern Campus. “Even if you don’t have a strong interest in reptiles, the novel approaches Gillingham has used to study the Tuatara – like the remote controls and the video-imaging – is fascinating.”
This presentation concludes this year’s Dean’s Cultural Series at Ohio University Eastern Campus.
For more information or to RSVP, please contact Ohio University Eastern Campus at 740-699-2494.
PHOTO: Dr. Gillingham with a Tuatara.
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