Michelle Curtis

San Diego Zoo · Institute for Conservation Research: Recovery Ecology

Pre‐release training is becoming a standard practice in conservation breeding and translocation programs for mammals and birds, but is still relatively neglected for herpetofauna, likely stemming from widespread beliefs that amphibians are “hard‐wired” and are thus predicted to benefit little from experiential learning. However, experience during d...

While ex situ breeding programs are critical tools for species recovery, translocations using animals reared under human care can face low success rates, often related to increased dispersal and reduced survival. These issues may be related to a mismatch between ex situ environments and natural habitats. Natal habitat preference induction, wherein...

Basic natural history information is critical for species conservation but is often deficient for endangered species, which can be rare and difficult to study. This is particularly true for behavior and natural history during the winter in temperate regions, when site access can be challenging. For translocation programs in temperate regions, howev...

Anurans can display a host of intriguing sexual syndromes, including hermaphroditism and sex reversal. Using a multifaceted approach for diagnosing and characterising hermaphroditism in the endangered anuran species Rana mucosa, we tracked changes in female reproductive status using hormone monitoring, ultrasound examinations, individual life histo...

At high altitudes, amphibians brumate (over winter) during the winter months, an adaptation that provides protection from harsh weather and minimizes metabolic demand when food resources are scarce. However, brumation in ex situ populations is often avoided due to concerns regarding slow growth rates, compromised immunity, and increased morbidity,...

Accurate estimates of survival are crucial for many management decisions in translocation programs. Maximizing detection probabilities and reducing sampling biases for released animals can aid in estimates of survival. One important source of sampling bias is an animal’s behavior. For example, individuals that are consistently more exploratory or a...

The first choice of any captive animal program should be to promote natural breeding through appropriate diet and environmental conditions. However, in cases of poor reproductive performance, the administration of exogenous hormones can induce breeding behaviours and gamete release. Part of the approach to the Mountain yellow-legged frog recovery p...

several applications that can successfully induce reproductive behaviors and the acquisition of gametes and embryos for physiological or molecular research. Amphibians contribute to one-quarter to one-third of vertebrate research, and of interest in this context is their contribution to the scientific community’s knowledge of reproductive processes...

The first choice of any captive program should be to promote natural breeding through appropriate diet and environmental conditions. However, in cases of low fertility, the administration of exogenous hormones can induce breeding behaviors and gamete release. More recently, the Mountain yellow-legged (MYL) frog recovery program has focused on the c...

Behavioral and physiological adaptations in amphibians relate to geography and topography. In the Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog (MYLF), Rana muscosa, exposure to harsh winters and food scarcity at high altitudes, links brumation to fat deposition, sexual maturation and reproduction. Previously, captive MYLF metamorphs at the San Diego Zoo Institute f...