Students found Davidson residents like turtles best. Here's one that residents found on Patrick Johnston Lane in 2009 (Lisa Combs photo)

Why are turtles considered Davidson’s favorite residents? No, it’s not because they carry their homes on their backs.

According to a survey last fall by three Davidson College biology students, turtles are the most liked reptile in Davidson. Ross Lackey, Christian Oldham and Ross Davis put together the survey for a class titled “Reptile and Amphibian Conservation.”

The survey sought to assess attitudes towards the conservation of reptiles and amphibians in the town of Davidson.

Christian Oldham spoke about what they expected to find: “We hypothesized that the importance placed on the conservation of reptiles and amphibians, as well as how much residents have contributed to the conservation of reptiles and amphibians would notably differ from the importance of conservation placed on mammals, birds, and fish.”

To test their hypothesis, the students obtained 160 completed surveys within the town of Davidson through a combination of online and door-to-door surveying. Shoppers at the Davidson Farmer’s Market were also questioned.

So, what did they find?

“One consistent trend among residents was that conservation was generally held to be important,”  Ross Davis said.

Relative to mammals, birds, and fish, however, the perceived importance of the conservation of reptiles and amphibians was lower.

While the general consensus of residents was that the conservation of reptiles and amphibians as well as mammals, birds, and fish is important, the proportion of residents who indicated having contributed time or money to the conservation of all categories of animals was relatively low.

Male residents were more comfortable in the presence of reptiles and amphibians and ranked their knowledge of reptiles and amphibians higher than females.

“We found out that if a person is comfortable in the presence of a reptile or amphibian then that person is likely to think that conservation is important for that particular animal,” said Ross Lackey.

Residents said the would prefer to learn about conservation through talks or educational programs.

The students hope that by sharing their results with the Davidson community and local conservation groups, future efforts aimed at public education and conservation projects will be more informed, specifically with regard to the current level of public knowledge of reptiles and amphibians.

Ross Lackey summed up the experience by saying, “We would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey. Davidson has lots of reptiles and amphibians. We hope that everyone can learn more about the species around them so they will understand why they need to be conserved.”

RELATED COVERAGE

Nov. 14, 2010, “Survey: What do you thnk about reptiles, amphibians?”

May 25, 2009, “Life in Davidson” column, “Snapping turtle on the lane.”

Graph by student researchers shows residents' relative views of reptiles and amphibians.