Frog hunting at Thayer Pond in Rutland, summer 2025
Biology professor and mycologist Javier Tabima Restrepo and students in his lab study the genus Basidiobolus. They frequently visit waterbodies in Central Massachusetts to collect frogs for their research, as Basidiobolus is commonly found in the guts of amphibians.
At dusk, the students head to local waterways to capture frogs and swab the amphibians’ backs, bellies, and sides before taking them to the Tabima Lab for more testing. On campus, the research team collects fecal samples to examine how microscopic fungi interact with a host body and how the warming environment impacts that interaction. The amphibians are returned to their collection site after their short stay at Clark.
In June and July 2025, they’ve visited Thayer Pond in Rutland for frog hunting expeditions.
Photos by Steven King
