​Enrique Santoyo-Brito / Herpetology

My research interest revolves around topics of natural history and behavioral ecology of amphibians and reptiles, and my projects involve fieldwork, laboratory work, and fluid-preserved specimens. I have studied herpetofauna diversity (at all three levels), sociality (parental care and group living), predator avoidance (solitary vs grouped individuals), and diverse effects constant incubation temperature has on lizard hatchlings (sex ratio and sex reversal). Recently, I have focused my research efforts on studying how climate change has affected lizard communities and populations (composition, activity patterns, and body size). I have led research in Mexico, the USA, and Chile, and currently maintain collaborations in all three countries.

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I am also interested in Biological or Natural History Collections, and I am a proponent of their creation, growth, use, management, and curation. In my research projects, it is common to use preserved reptile specimens and associated data to investigate the ecology and natural history of reptile species, both past and present.

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Currently, I serve as the Scientific Specialist, Fluid Collections Manager at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) located at the Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. At INHS, I'm responsible for managing and curating approximately 1.3 million specimens of Fish, Crustaceans, Amphibians & Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals. And participated in integrating 80,000 lots and 15,000 fluid-preserved herptiles formerly housed at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

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Please browse my site for more information on my research activities and publications.

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