Bryna Daykin, crew leader, is on an airboat during an American crocodile capture survey. (Photo by UF/IFAS Croc Docs)


Today is International Women in Science Day and what better way to celebrate than to highlight some of the "Croc Docs" who track and research the alligators and even burmese pythons in the Everglades. The "Croc Docs" is a program through University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) carry out overnight conservation research projects that checks data on alligator populations as well as tracking invasive species.

For Pupo, a South Florida native, a career in science once felt unrealistic. Like many women in her family, she briefly considered medicine before rediscovering biology during her undergraduate years, inspired by female wildlife professors and peers who shared her passion.

“I can’t imagine a more fulfilling way to spend my time than helping to conserve the environment and the fauna that taught me so much growing up,” she said in the news release.

To read the full article about the work these women herpetologists are doing, click here.