CIR’s EXPERT WEBINAR SERIES PRESENTS

Five Island Lives: Evolutionary Stories of Northern Channel Island Reptiles

With Dr. Amanda Sparkman, Professor of Biology and the Director of Environmental Studies at Westmont College

Thursday, August 27, 2026, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm

We know there are five species of reptile on the northern Channel islands today--but where did they come from? How has island life changed them over the thousands of years since they arrived? And how can a pile of boards, a fishing rod, a glucometer, liquid nitrogen, and a field-portable ultrasound help us understand them better?  Come hear what collaborative research on island snakes and lizards is beginning to tell us about their evolutionary stories, and what we're doing to learn more about them.

Dr. Amanda Sparkman is a Professor of Biology and the Director of Environmental Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara. Her research has ranged from the evolution of life histories in reptiles, to the evolution of social behavior in red wolves, to the urban ecology of fence lizards and acorn woodpeckers. She has been studying reptiles on the Channel Islands since 2012.