
Learn about strange and slippery swamp eels at our September Science on Tap featuring Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Collection Manager Rob Robins!
A man wearing a blue shirt and gray shorts holds a large fish vertically in one hand and a tray of smaller fish in the other. He stands in front of a vehicle labeled "Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission" and "Exotic Pest Amnesty Program." He is wearing protective gloves and a neck gaiter, and is standing on a white table with several more fish laid out on it.What exactly are swamp eels? While not true eels, swamp eels are eel-like freshwater fishes with remarkable biological adaptations that have helped them spread from their native range to waterways around the world.
Join the Florida Museum’s UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute at Cypress & Grove Brewing Co. for this free event and learn how swamp eels arrived in Florida’s waters, what makes them so successful, and what scientists are learning about their role in Florida’s freshwater ecosystems.
Rob Robins is the collection manager of the Ichthyology (study of fish) collection at the Florida Museum, which is home to almost 3 million fish specimens. He is coauthor of “Fishes in the Fresh Waters of Florida” and studies nonindigenous fishes in Florida. His favorite fish is not a fish at all—his true love is snakes!
Schedule
6:30 p.m. – Grab a bite, brew and mingle with tablers. Museum members receive a ticket for a free drink of their choice.
7-8 p.m. – Science on Tap program
The event activities and discussion are FREE. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.