DHL undergraduate student researcher Caden Myers was recently awarded the SnakeDays 2025 Grant! His proposed research, titled “Diet and parasites of the non-native Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) in Texas,” involves examining the diet and parasites of this recently established species in San Antonio. Over Summer 2025, Caden sorted, identified, and analyzed two years of diet data from previously collected samples and presented the data collected so far at the recent SWPARC Meeting in Albuquerque. With these funds, Caden will be able to join on a sampling trip planned for September 2025 and collect a third year of dietary data (along with additional data on perch height) and examine both internal and external parasites from all collected specimens. His work will help generate a better understanding of the direct and indirect effects of this introduced species on native species.

Congratulations to Caden!