African Herpetology and the power of Social Media
Social media, especially platforms such as Facebook, have become valuable tools for biodiversity enthusiasts, keen learners, and concerned citizens (e.g. requiring an ID after encountering a potentially venomous snake) to obtain knowledge from experts in the field. Many pages and groups are available to those with these interests or concerns. An important aspect of these groups, and one that should not be overlooked, are that users often shared novel observations not yet documented in formal scientific literature. These platforms can generate a wealth of data, often more than what traditional studies can feasibly achieve, given the challenges of collecting natural history observations on herpetofauna.
In Africa, many reptiles and amphibians lack basic natural history data and species distribution information. Facebook groups dedicated to collecting and sharing such data are therefore important and cost-effective solutions to filling these gaps. However, this often requires active and dedicated admins to manage data. While some groups effectively build communities and organise their data well, many have an abundance of posts that could contribute to the growth of Herpetology in Africa. But rather, these posts end up 'lost' in the vast expanse of the internet.
An example of the wealth of data that can be obtained from Facebook groups and its potential to add to the field of African herpetology. Maritz & Maritz (2020).
Admins play a crucial role in making data useful. If not actively curating the observations posted to these groups, admins should at least guide participants to contribute their records to established citizen scientist platforms. This shift ensures that the abundance of data transitions from social media platforms and can therefore be used in formal conservation assessments and future studies. Regular review, analysis, and publishing of data are highly recommended to maintain the group's productivity while contributing to knowledge about African herpetofauna (similarly for admins running these types of groups throughout the globe). Setting guidelines for posting observations is an important consideration for standardising data collected. A page with ~ 10,000 yearly posts, each tagged with observation dates, becomes an extremely valuable resource for investigating a species' natural history, ecology, and even human-wildlife conflict. However ~ 10,000 yearly posts with nothing but a species name provides very little value. This data obviously come with many challenges, and the more information supplied the better, either way there are many methods and studies addressing the complications when dealing with citizen science observations. Beyond data, these platforms play a key role in educating and creating an appreciation for reptiles and amphibians across Africa. They influence attitudes and perceptions towards Herpetofauna, making them more widely understood. This aspect should never be overlooked, as shifts in public outlook likely have a greater impact than could ever be quantified.
Another example, by Bates & Stobie (2022), of data collected from Facebook groups being used to facilitate the knowledge of African reptiles.
For readers that are wanting to follow these groups to learn more about African reptiles and amphibians, bellow is a list of some of the groups focused on different regions, taxa and topics. For admins, we hope that you take into consideration the mass amount of data your groups are obtaining, working in a collaborative manor among groups with standardise guidelines for participants posts could go a long way in ecology, conservation, and snakebite mitigation.
Some publications resulting or using observations posted to some of these social media groups.
Maritz, R., Conradie, W., Sardinha, C., Peto, A., Chechene, A., and B. Maritz (Early Online) Ophiophagy and cannibalism in African vine snakes (Colubridae: Thelotornis). African Journal of Ecology.
Maritz, B., Alexander, G., and R. Maritz. (2018). The underappreciated extent of cannibalism and ophiophagy in African cobras. Ecology
Michael F Bates & Cora S Stobie (2022) Current-day distribution of the rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) in central South Africa and Lesotho: An evaluation based mainly on photographic and videographic records from social media, African Journal of Herpetology, 71:1, 94-100, DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2021.1998237
Smith, C., Layloo, I., Maritz, R., and B. Maritz. (2019). Sexual dichromatism does not translate into sex‐based differences in morphology or diet for the African boomslang. Journal of Zoology
Disclaimer: AHBI is not affiliated to these groups (with the exception of the Reptiles of Pilanesberg National Park facebook group), nor do we take any responsibility for the information posted within them from their participants or our members. We are simply sharing these to make our readers aware that these platforms exist, and that they can be used to both educate oneself and others about herpetology in Africa.
Published: 04 December 2024
Last edited: 02 Feburary 2024
Author
Gary Kyle Nicolau
1. Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085, USA
2. African Herpetology and Biodiversity Institute, Johannesberg, Gauteng, RSA
