Chris Carmichael

Hi! My name is Chris Carmichael, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology and Head Women's Soccer Coach at BJU. Academically, I teach Vertebrate Zoology, Ecology, Biodiversity, and General Biology. I am a herpetologist, with research interests in the field of animal behavior. I have been a reptile enthusiast since I was a kid and this passion for this unique group of animals lead me on to careers working with reptiles at the Brookfield Zoo and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, as a zoo keeper, associate curator of herpetology, and curatorial advisor.

I have always maintained a large private collection of boas, pythons, monitor lizards, crocodilians, tortoises, geckos, iguanas and venomous snakes and I currently have a large colony of Gila monsters that are used for both some behavioral projects (looking at reproductive behaviors), and I am milking the venom for a collaborative study I have with Dr. Steve Figard in our Institute for Cancer Research here at BJU. Most of my research tends to investigate patterns of geographic variation in reproductive behaviors in pythons, although I have several longterm projects also looking at the function of clusters of sensory receptors (dome pressure receptors) on the jaw of crocodilians that are used for detecting prey.

I also have several studies looking at the role of satiation and frequency of caudal luring in boids (dumeril boas, green tree pythons, and the short-tailed python complex). I am an avid hiker, lover the outdoors, love playing with our dogs (a chocolate lab, standard poodle and a Great Dane), spending time with my wife Sharon and our 11 kids, and we are a family that loves sports (especially soccer!). In addition to my academic side, I am the Head Women's Soccer Coach and we just finished our second season as the National Champions.