About me

While I’m trying not to make this sound like I’m introducing myself at rehab, my name is Ollie Thomas and I’ve had a lifelong obsession with reptiles…

I graduated in 2017 with a Zoology degree from Exeter University and have been working on and off in herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) based field jobs. These have taken me to some pretty special places around the world, from South America to Asia, and allowed me to encounter and learn about some really interesting animals. I even managed to scrape some publications out of it (listed below)

In December 2020 I finished my Masters by Research (MRes) at Swansea university where I was studying the energetics of the head bobbing displays of Starred agamas (Stellagama stellio) using accelerometers.

I’m also quite a keen climber so normally you’ll find me with or without a harness in a tree, on a cliff or at a boulder. Since finishing my masters I’ve been working as a rope access technician (IRATA L2, Tree Climbing & Aerial rescue, BCAP), building up a range of skills to blend science with climbing and study herps in the canopy! More about this at Ropey Science

Shameless self publication… Deep water soloing in Pembroke, Wales (left) Sani herp team 2019 with a juvenile green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) (middle) and rigging hammocks in big beech trees in the Surrey hills (right)

Publications

Thomas, O., Preston, S., Cole, T., Vernon McDonald, R., Neira-Salamea, K., Castellano, I. (2023). Herps at Height: records of multiple species utilising the upper canopy in NW Ecuador. Reptiles & Amphibians, 30(1), e19692. Available here

Allain, S.J.R., Clemens D.J. & Thomas, O. (2023) Taste the Rainbow: A review of color abnormalities affecting herpetofauna of the British Isles. Reptiles & Amphibians, 30(1), e18470. Available here

Yánez-Muñoz M., Herrera-Madrid, M. y Thomas, O (Eds). 2023. Caracterización Bioecológica Rápida de la Flora
y Fauna del sector Gualpí de los Cayapas, Reserva Biológica Canandé. Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO) – Fundación Jocotoco. Reporte Técnico. Quito, Ecuador.

Hughes, M., Thomas, O., Suvorova, A., Saunders, T.J., Jelić, D., Martin, T.E. & Haelewaters, D. (2021) The skynet, a new method to capture bats over water. Bat Research & Conservation 14(1), 215-221

Thomas, O., & Allain, S. (2021). Review of prey taken by anacondas (Squamata, Boidae: Eunectes). Reptiles & Amphibians, 28(2), 329-334. Available here

Thomas, O., Allain, S.J.R., Owen, H. (2021). Predation and ingestion of a barred grass snake (Natrix helvetica) by a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Lot, France. Herpetological Bulletin. 155. 40-41. Available here

Thomas, O., Mangini, G. & Gualinga, J. (2021). Sleeping site fidelity in three neotropical species of herpetofauna. Herpetological bulletin. 155. 8-11. Available here

Thomas, O., Allain, S.J.R. & Sagar, P. (2020). Predation and ingestion of a viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara) by the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) in England. Herpetological Bulletin. 152. 44 Available here

Mangini, G. & Thomas, O. (2020). Observations on foraging behaviour of Rufous-headed Woodpecker Celeus spectabilis in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Cotinga. 42. 73-76 Available here

Thomas, O. (2020). Predation on a Slender Anole (Anolis fuscoauratus) by a Whip Scorpion (Order: Amblypygi). Reptiles and Amphibians. 26(3). 253-254 Available here

Thomas, O., Kane, D. & Michaels, C.J. (2019). Effects of different heat sources on the behaviour of blue tree monitors (Varanus macraei) in captivity. Herpetological Bulletin. 149. 41-43. Available here

Thomas, O. (2019). Persian horned viper (Pseudocerastes persicus): a record at unusually low elevation from the United Arab Emirates. Herpetological Bulletin. 147. 28-29. Available here

Thomas, O. (2019). Aggregation behaviour in the common blunt-headed tree snake (Imantodes cenchoa). Captive and Field Herpetology. 3. 23-25. Available here

Books

Thomas, O., Bird, D. & O’Donovan, G., (2020). The Fish and Herpetofauna of the Sani Reserve, Ecuador. Second edition. Spilsby, UK: Operation Wallacea. Available here