Pictured left to right: Kit Freeman ’27, Henry Ganse ’26, Jessica Sit ’26, and Sammy Sperber ’27

The 2025-2026 Reptiles and Amphibians team is part of the 31st Forman Rainforest Project. This year, the team will take inventory of herpetofauna at two remote locations in Costa Rica. First, we will visit Poce Sol Biological Station. Next, we will travel to Cuerecí Biological Station, located within the Talamanca Mountains in the southern region of Costa Rica.

Additionally, we plan to build upon research collected during previous years of the Rainforest Project on the Black-footed Tree Frog (Isthmohyla pictipes) and the Green Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus malachiticus). These two species are of particular interest for several reasons. Firstly, the Black-Footed Tree Frog was nearly added to the extinction list until it was rediscovered by the reptiles and amphibians team in 2020. Previously, it had not been sighted since the 1970s. We also want to answer three questions. How have the reptile and amphibian populations changed, how many different species can we find, and how is the dark footed tree frog doing?

Goal: Reassessment of (Sceloporus malachiticus) and continued monitoring of (Isthmohyla pictipes).