Genome Mapping of Crocodiles and Alligators is a Big Risk, Big Reward Project
OutdoorHub Reporters 05.22.12
Collecting DNA samples from most animals isn’t easy. Sometimes they happen to be too fast and sometimes they might be too good at staying hidden. But in the case of the alligator, the animal you’re collecting DNA from might clamp down on you with more force than a falling Volkswagen.
The team charged with collecting DNA from crocodiles and alligators is made up of researchers from many different universities and is funded by the National Science Foundation. The main goal of the project is to increase the knowledge of reptiles, mammals and potentially dinosaurs.
“The group currently assembled by David Ray and others includes scientists with expertise ranging from crocodilian systematics and population genetics to pure molecular biology to the fields of bioinformatics and comparative genomics,” said Lou Densmore, chair of the Biological Sciences Department at Texas Tech University in an interview with redOrbit.
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“If it can’t bite you, it’s not interesting,” said David Ray an evolutionary biologist at Mississippi State University.
What’s more, Ray and his team do most of their crocodile and alligator catching at night from a boat or canoe. The team uses a headlamp to scan the water for eyes which, because of membrane with the eye, reflect red.
Ray stated that the team approaches the animal quietly in order to slip a snare over the nose. At they point the let the animals struggle until its exhausted, making it more easy to handle.
When asked about his job and its risks Ray said, “Oh, its great. I mean, there’s just a thrill.”
