Sul Ross State University
A Member of the Texas State University System

News Release for Nov. 23, 2009

FROM CROCS TO TURTLES, SUL ROSS BIOLOGIST'S RESEARCH A GLOBAL PURSUIT

by Steve Lang, News and Publications

After years of chasing -- and sometimes being chased by -- crocodiles, Dr. Steve Platt has slowed his research pace to a turtle's crawl.

Turtle research, however, has kept him moving across the globe; from the Gulf Coast to Myanmar (formerly Burma), Cambodia, Australia, Belize, the South Dakota prairies, and locally in the Big Bend .

Platt, Sul Ross State University assistant professor of Biology, most recently conducted research on the rare Arakan forest turtle in western Myanmar.

He was part of an expedition sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx Zoo in New York) and the Turtle Survival Alliance to search for the Arakan forest turtle (Heosemys depressa), a critically endangered species that had never been observed in the wild by biologists.

Five living specimens were found during last summer's expediton, and Platt's study concludes that the Arakan forest turtle is common to the region -- Rakhine Yoma Elephant Range, or RYER -- that was surveyed. RYER is a wildlife sanctuary established to protect wild herds of Asian elephants.

"I have been fortunate to have the opportunities to go places from a bio-diversity standpoint," said Platt, whose wife, Kalyar, is from Myanmar. "Previously, the Arakan turtle was only known from a handful of specimens collected from the early 1900s....As far as I know, only myself and two Burmese biologists (my colleagues Daw Khin Myo Myo and U Win Ko Ko) have ever encountered the Arakan Forest turtle in the wild."

According to Platt, there are about 250 species of turtles in the world, a number of them endangered. Many are captured and marketed, particularly to China, for use as both food and in traditional medicines.

Of those 250 species, 10-15 are found on the Gulf Coast, where Platt conducts long-term research near his hometown of Baton Rouge, La. Numerous species are found in Southeast Asia as well.

Turtles, according to Platt, play extremely vital roles in the ecosystem.

"From an ecological standpoint, turtles are extremely important," he said. "Some are herbivores, some are carnivores, they are scavengers, they are responsible for a great deal of seed dispersal, they are active in the nutrient cycle and water enhancement, and they are prey."

"Our understanding of the ecosystem is really not that great, and if you start disturbing them (turtles), when do you see that impact?"

He plans to return to Myanmar next May to conduct further studies on the Arakan turtle. Platt hopes to visit another region north of his first research, near the base of the Himalayas.

"I'd like to find out where they live and where they occur, their diet and their habitat," he said. "We have just a basic knowledge of these animals and more data is necessary for any type of captive management."

Platt shifted from alligator and crocodile research to turtles in the mid-1990s. He completed a Master's degree at Southeastern Louisiana University on alligator nesting ecology, then went to Australia and completed a six-month internship under Dr. Grahame Webb, Australia's foremost crocodile researcher.

"I came back to the US, was accepted into a PhD program at Clemson, and the following summer I went to Belize to conduct my dissertation research on Morelet's crocodile (1992-1995)," Platt said. "It was while working in Belize that I first became involved in turtle research."

"I have always been interested in turtles," he said. "Granted, turtle research doesn't rank as high on the Rambo Scale as crocodiles, but they have been around for millions of years and serve important functions."

Platt, who came to Sul Ross in 2006 after teaching at Oglalla-Lakota College on the Pine Ridge, S.D. Indian Reservation, has two turtle research projects underway locally: a study of mud turtles on the O2 Ranch and of the Chihuahuan mud turtle on Alamito Creek at Presidio, the only place in the U.S. where this species is found.

His O2 Ranch research studies movement between wetlands areas, which are often kilometers apart.

"Turtles are really interesting. These are aquatic animals living in the desert. How do they get around?" he said.

In addition to turtles, Platt is working with several Sul Ross students on other research projects, including seed dispersal by black bears in Big Bend National Park; wood rats; and water snakes at Lake Balmorhea.

Platt has long been acquainted with Sul Ross, as he visited the Big Bend area as a youth. His doctoral adviser at Clemson was a friend of the late Sul Ross Professor Emeritus James Scudday.

"When the position opened up here, I applied," he said, and praised the outdoor laboratory the region offers.

"There's so much to do out here. You can find turtles by walking around. You can get out after class and on weekends," he said.

For more information, contact Platt, (432) 837-8084 or splatt@sulross.edu.

Photo: Dr. Steve Platt, Sul Ross assistant professor of Biology, examines a turtle carapace found in the region. Platt's turtle research has taken him to numerous points on the globe, including Belize and Myanmar. Photo by Steve Lang.

SUL ROSS CHRISTMAS BALL DEC. 5 AT GRANADA THEATRE

The Sul Ross State University Alumni Association will host a Christmas Ball Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Granada Theatre, 207 E. Holland Ave, Alpine.

Music begins at 9 a.m. with the Alpine band, The Doodlin' Hogwallops. The Cody Hughes Davidson Band will be the featured performers. Tickets may be purchased for $12 in advance or $15 at the door. All proceeds will benefit the Alumni Association.

Sul Ross alumni, students and friends are invited. To purchase tickets, call the Alumni Association, (432) 837-8697 or visit the Sul Ross Bookstore or Office of Alumni Affairs, both located in the Morgan University Center.

More information is available online at www.sulross.edu/mybarsrbar.

SUL ROSS' KESSLER TO DISCUSS SECOND AMENDMENT CASE ON MARFA PUBLIC RADIO

Dr. Ray Kessler, Sul Ross State University professor of Criminal Justice, will be interviewed on Marfa Public Radio's 10 a.m. "Talk at Ten" show on Wednesday, Dec. 2.

Kessler will discuss one of the most important cases currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, McDonald v. Chicago. In McDonald, the Court will decide whether the Second Amendment applies against the states.

In 2008, in the court's decision in D.C. v. Heller, the court held that the Second Amendment gives individuals not connected to official militias a limited right to keep and bear arms. The Heller decision involved only the District of Columbia, which was treated as part of the federal government. The court did not decide in Heller if the right applied against the states. McDonald will answer that question. Kessler will discuss some of the specifics and implications of the case.

For more information, contact Kessler, (432) 837-8166 or rkessler@sulross.edu.