The Herpetological Repository of Cyprus
Learn about the amphibians and reptiles of Cyprus! Whether you're a Cyprus resident or just visiting the island, a trained scientist or avid enthusiast: this is where you will find your answers!
If you photographed a frog, lizard, snake, or terrapin in nature, you can upload the photo here, together with information on where and when you took the photo. We will identify the species for you, and if requested, email you with information about the species identification.
If you identified a frog, lizard, snake, or terrapin that you observed in nature, you can submit your record here, together with information on where and when you made the observation.
About
HerpRepository.org is a new way to engage citizen scientists in biodiversity research on the island of Cyprus. We provide a platform to learn about the amphibians and reptiles of Cyprus. People can then feed back their observations into scientific inquiry.
FAQ
- How does HerpRepository.org work?
- With the help of HerpRepository.org, people can identify amphibians and reptiles that they observe, educating them about nature. They can then submit their distribution records to HerpRepository.org, providing resources for extending scientific knowledge.
- What are distribution records?
- A distribution record is information about where and when a wild animal was observed in nature.
- What can be learned from distribution records?
- Distribution records provide information about:
- Occurrence of animals in particular habitats, ecosystems, and biogeographical regions
- Occurrence of animals in the vertical dimension
- Annual activity of animals in relation to habitat and climate
- Long term changes in the spatial and temporal distribution of animals
- Why is this kind of information useful?
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- Document how the distribution of animals changes as a result of environmental perturbations, such as climate change, habitat destruction
- Characterize the ecological niche of a species, which can inform conservation measures
- Identify new, unknown areas of inhabitance
- Recognize species new to a region or country, sometimes in need of conservation measures
- Why do we need support from the general public in collecting distribution records?
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- Huge amounts of distribution data are needed to provide an informative picture, but resources to collect these data are limited.
- Many people enjoy being in nature and are nature enthusiasts; they likely observe many interesting animals.
- Nature enthusiasts collectively can provide many more data points than individual researchers could ever do!
Interested in obtaining data?
Distribution data from HerpRepository.org are shared with everyone interested to do research on the amphibians and reptiles of Cyprus. To obtain data, please contact us and tell us about your project and the type of data you would need.
Links
The Herpetological Repository of Cyprus maintains an active collaboration with the Cyprus Roadkill Observation System (CyROS, http://www.cyroadkills.org/). CyROS is a citizen science platform founded in 2017 to collect roadkill records of mammals, reptiles, and birds. The Herpetological Repository and CyROS reciprocally exchange reptile roadkill records on a regular basis.
Contact
Please email us under "info at herprepository dot org"!