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Saturday, May 31st, 2008      

1:00 – 2:30

Dr. Mercedes Foster

“Social Systems in Manakins – Jewels of the Tropical Forest”

Dr. Foster will talk about the ins and outs of mounting a research expedition to the rain forests in Southeastern Peru where she carries out her studies of bird behavior.  She will also introduce you to the manakins, or jewel birds, and their lek social systems which have been likened to the discos of the 70s.

Saturday, June 7th, 2008       2:30 – 4:00

Dr. George Zug

“Snakes – Local & Exotic”

Snakes are marvels of adaptation. They fascinate all of us, even those of us who find them frightening. George Zug (Emeritus Research Zoologist & former curator of herpetology, National Museum of Natural History) will offer an introduction to snake anatomy and biology of local and foreign snakes, and also comment on snake-human interactions. He and Carl Ernst (George Mason University) recently published the book Snakes: Smithsonian Answer Book.