Another german herping guy enters the battlefield

The admin would like to ask all our members to give a short introduction of themselves here - also please include a picture of yourself, so we will recognize you in the field.

Another german herping guy enters the battlefield

Postby Tim Lueddecke » Tue Jun 21, 2016 9:12 am

Timincorsica.jpg
This picture (corsica, may 2016) shows me while hunting for Salamandra corsica near Col de Bavella


Hi at all,
thank you for accepting my request for joining this forum! :D

My name is Tim Lüddecke, I am 26 years old and I am a biology student (master) with focus on biochemistry/bioinformatics and genetics in Braunschweig, Germany. Right now I´m participating in different projects in the zoological institute of my university under Miguel Vences and Sebastian Steinfartz. I am interested in mechanisms of chemical defense in reptiles and amphibians and evolutionary biology as well.

Since my childhood I am fascinated with snakes and most other critters. Like many of you (I guess) I catched frogs, lizards and newts on a daily basis and kept different herps in terrariums at home. While becoming older my agenda expands also to invertebrates: Mostly buthid scorpions, tarantulas and black widow spiders. At age of 16 I did an internship in the Schladen snake farm here in my home area. After finishing school I did a job training as a chemical laboratorian and was employed in an industrial R&D laboratory before starting my biology studies.
In spring 2016 I finished my bachelor degree about alkaloids as a part of the chemical defense in different salamander species under Miguel Vences and started the masters programm.

Right now I am working on different projects:
1) Unexplored components of the skin poisons in Salamandra spp.
2) Conservation and population genetics inside a declining population of Vipera berus in the lower saxony site of the Harz
3) Evolution of Tarantulas

Because I am mainly interested in venomous snakes I will start different herping trips across Europe in the next years, to find as many of our native vipers as possible for getting as many experience with them as possible. Hopefully I will meet some of you in the fields ;)

Bests,
Tim
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Tim Lueddecke
 
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Location: Braunschweig
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country: Germany

Re: Another german herping guy enters the battlefield

Postby Berislav Horvatic » Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:56 pm

Most welcome, Tim (especially regarding venomous snakes as your main interest.)
We (the viper addicts' club/branch within this forum) are most happy to see young
forces like you joining in.
And, owing to your thorough and informative introduction, you may expect support
by the local experts all over Europe. (That's how it's done properly, unlike what some
lazy enthusiasts try to achieve with a two-lines e-mail message asking for help in
finding, e.g., V. ursinii or something like that, not bothering to introduce themselves.)
Berislav Horvatic
 
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Hometown: Zagreb
country: Croatia

Re: Another german herping guy enters the battlefield

Postby Tim Lueddecke » Tue Jun 21, 2016 3:25 pm

Thank you Berislav,
I am very happy to see that my introduction seems to be done in the expected form!
I totally agree with you about that, there should be no way to give detailed information upon certain species to anybody --> too many black sheep out there...

The support from all experts would be very appreciated! I trying to become the best herpetologist I can be and therefore I am absolutely dependant on advices from the established ones.
For me this whole fieldherping thing is right now some kind of training bootcamp. The goal is to gather as much experience in finding and handling as many different venomous snakes (and other herps ;) )as I can, to leafe the university as the most possible experienced guy.
I strongly belief that I should do this now and not when I want to start my real "big projects" when I´m done with university...

Bests,
Tim
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Tim Lueddecke
 
Posts: 8
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Location: Braunschweig
Hometown: Braunschweig
country: Germany

Re: Another german herping guy enters the battlefield

Postby Ilian Velikov » Tue Jun 21, 2016 3:48 pm

First - Welcome to the forum Tim. Your work on Salamandra toxins sounds intriguing. I'd love to have a look when it's finished.

Berislav Horvatic wrote:That's how it's done properly, unlike what some
lazy enthusiasts try to achieve with a two-lines e-mail message asking for help in
finding, e.g., V. ursinii or something like that, not bothering to introduce themselves.

I agree with this to some extend but you're emphasizing on it a bit too much and too often which could not only be a bit repelling to some clean-minded enthusiast that didn't introduce themselves so thoroughly for one reason or another but could also have the opposite effect of attracting ill-minded people to the forum. If you're giving information to anybody that tells you their name, country and job I'd say you'd be wrong. Obviously even if somebody with bad intentions introduce themselves they're not going to go "Hi my name is Dave, I'm a poacher and I'm planning on collecting 150 meadow vipers for my private collection. Would you please tell me where to find them?" Not to mention that I've met biologist/scientists that have no problem smuggling animals across borders, introducing alien species and so on. Just because someone tells you they study somewhere and work on this or that it doesn't mean you can trust them straight away. So if you keep advertising that you'd give information to people with "proper" introduction I won't be surprised if ill-minded people start logging here giving thorough but false information about themselves and getting the info they need. It might be better to keep quite and just don't give information to people that you think should not have it.
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Re: Another german herping guy enters the battlefield

Postby Berislav Horvatic » Tue Jun 21, 2016 5:08 pm

Ilian Velikov wrote: Just because someone tells you they study somewhere and work on this or that it doesn't mean you can trust them straight away. So if you keep advertising that you'd give information to people with "proper" introduction I won't be surprised if ill-minded people start logging here giving thorough but false information about themselves and getting the info they need. It might be better to keep quite and just don't give information to people that you think should not have it.

Ilian, of course I would double-check the guy/girl, irrespective of his/her initial "presentation", before going to reveal
to him/her the "sensitive" data, that's understood. No need to insist on that so much as you do. But a thorough "introduction"
like Tim's is at least a good start to begin with, isn't it? A much, much better one than just a private mail "Hey, my name
is so-and-so, I'll be visiting your country this spring, could you tell me where to find V. ursinii or V. berus bosniensis, or something like that." Of course I've always requested some reliable recommendations for any person I don't know myself,
no question. And I always will.
E. g, if YOU recommend a particular person (not known to me), saying "Bero, the guy's OK, you can tell him everything",
I'll take your word for it. What else could I (we) do? And you will be responsible, of course.
BTW, in this particular case, Tim's face in the photo looks quite honest (to me, at least.) That's also quite a "good start",
at least.

@ Tim: Sorry, Tim, this discussion has nothing to do with you personally, it's just reviving the terrible old general
questions haunting the forum, fieldherpetology, trust, honesty...
Berislav Horvatic
 
Posts: 1132
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:35 pm
Hometown: Zagreb
country: Croatia

Re: Another german herping guy enters the battlefield

Postby Andre Schmid » Tue Jun 21, 2016 5:53 pm

Welcome and have fun here ! :)
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Re: Another german herping guy enters the battlefield

Postby Ilian Velikov » Tue Jun 21, 2016 7:00 pm

Berislav Horvatic wrote:@ Tim: Sorry, Tim, this discussion has nothing to do with you personally, it's just reviving the terrible old general
questions haunting the forum, fieldherpetology, trust, honesty...

Indeed, my apologies as well. I'll just say one more thing and I'll leave it at that.

Berislav, we're on the same page. I'm just saying that some people are more sensitive than others (different cultures, different way of expressing, etc.) and I know for sure that some first-timers on the forum are repelled by your remarks about their introductions. So that goes for you too - "no need to insist on that so much as you do". Just do what you have to do and share information with whoever you see fit.
Ilian Velikov
 
Posts: 1216
Joined: Thu May 21, 2009 12:19 pm
Hometown: Pravets
country: Bulgaria

Re: Another german herping guy enters the battlefield

Postby Tim Lueddecke » Wed Jun 22, 2016 8:09 am

Hi guys,

Andre Schmid wrote:Welcome and have fun here ! :)

Thank you very much Andre, I will try my best :D

Berislav Horvatic wrote:@ Tim: Sorry, Tim, this discussion has nothing to do with you personally, it's just reviving the terrible old general
questions haunting the forum, fieldherpetology, trust, honesty...

and
Ilian Velikov wrote:Indeed, my apologies as well. I'll just say one more thing and I'll leave it at that.


There is absolutely no need for any kind of apologies. I know that this is an ancient discussion which, maybe will never end, but come on: Everybody who is making serious herpetology should be able to prove himself worthy of having certain information by simply NOT beeing one of the bad guys...

Ilian Velikov wrote: Not to mention that I've met biologist/scientists that have no problem smuggling animals across borders, introducing alien species and so on.

This exactly what I understand as "bad guy". Shame on them! :evil:

I am looking forward to have some nice conversations with all of you!

Best wishes,
Tim
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Tim Lueddecke
 
Posts: 8
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Location: Braunschweig
Hometown: Braunschweig
country: Germany

Re: Another german herping guy enters the battlefield

Postby Berislav Horvatic » Wed Jun 22, 2016 11:17 am

Ilian Velikov wrote:... and I know for sure that some first-timers on the forum are repelled by your remarks about their introductions. So that goes for you too - "no need to insist on that so much as you do". Just do what you have to do and share information with whoever you see fit.

I have no recollections of me really "repelling" the newcomers to the forum. And in this particular case I was as "warm"
as possible. Regarding the rest of "it", we're on the same side. And Tim looks like a really "good guy" to me, only future
can tell...
Everybody who is making serious herpetology should be able to prove himself worthy of having certain information by
simply NOT beeing one of the bad guys...

Yes. Roger & out.
Berislav Horvatic
 
Posts: 1132
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:35 pm
Hometown: Zagreb
country: Croatia


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