Dr. Lee Kats has been educating students on amphibian declines ultraviolet radiation and animal ecology for the past 19 years here at Pepperdine University. During his tenure here Kats and his students have participated in environmental observations of frog species which contribute to attempts to save endangered amphibians.
The introduction of invasive species wildfires predators deadly fungi and climate change have all taken a toll on amphibian species. As time goes by “the more amphibians go extinct the more hair I lose Kats confessed.
To combat species extinction — and the ensuing loss of their professor’s tresses — Pepperdine students have placed traps and removed thousands of invasive creatures from local creeks.
They are also venturing out into different areas of the community and the world. With Dr. Kats, students have conducted studies in Argentina and Costa Rica, referenced in two published works: Extinction in Our Times” and “Amphibian Declines.”