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Arizona – Sonora Desert Museum: Venomous Creatures of the Sonoran Desert
April 20, 2024 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
$45 – $50The Sonoran Desert is home to a wide variety of venomous reptiles and arthropods and myths about them abound, yet only a handful are capable of producing medically significant injuries in people. Spend the afternoon learning which creatures are truly dangerous, how to identify them, avoid their bites and stings, and provide appropriate first aid. The class will discuss common myths and answer your questions about these interesting animals while providing the opportunity to view some of them up close.
Prices and Registration Details
Where to Meet: Education Annex
What to Bring: Notepad, pencil
About your Instructor: Mike Cardwell is a consulting biologist with the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center and an adjunct research associate at San Diego State University. Mike earned his MS with a thesis examining the behavioral response of rattlesnakes to drought. He is an editor of The Biology of Rattlesnakes, a 600-page compilation of contributions by 90 scientists and physicians, and he has authored or coauthored dozens of scientific and medical publications about venomous creatures, including the Wilderness Medical Society’s treatment guidelines for pitviper envenomations and the Mohave Rattlesnake species account in Rattlesnakes of Arizona. His own non-technical book, The Mohave Rattlesnake and How It Became an Urban Legend, was published in 2020. He currently studies variation in rattlesnake venom and how it affects human snakebite patients, and he uses radiotelemetry to study the biology and behavior of wild rattlesnakes.