A Modern Classic

Posted on July 28, 2013 by Andrew Gray

After the field course I returned to spend some time with my good friends Brian Kubicki and his wife Aura at the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Centre. Whilst catching up on all new things amphibian, as we hiked the many streams of the reserve, we got to share seeing lots of the species of glass frog that first attracted Brian to this amphibian rich area of Costa Rica.

It’s always a privilege to walk the streams with Brian and to share in his enthusiasm for these amazing frogs. I have known him for almost fifteen years now and his passion for gaining and sharing knowledge about Costa Rican amphibians is as strong as ever.

During our time spent together we discussed many things, but one thing that came up time and time again was his wish to share his interest in amphibians with people in the right way – in a way that is lost in so many scientific publications of today.

Brian particularly likes the way herpetologists of past eras classically shared their personal experiences about the animals they came across, describing them in fine detail, and their fascinating behaviours. To this end, Brian has started his own publication series ‘Contributions to Costa Rican Batrachology’. In it he hopes to share information on many aspects of the taxonomy, natural history, biogeography, conservation, and captive husbandry of amphibian species that are native to Costa Rica. If the first issue is anything to go by, I think we will be teated to some fascinating first-hand accounts of real scientific herpetological value.