A photo tells you what an animal looked like. A good record tells you everything else: when, where, what it was doing, and what the weather was. Scientists get more out of a careful record than a pretty picture, and keeping records is one of the habits that turns a kid who likes snakes into a naturalist. Professional field forms have dozens of blanks. Here is a junior version that fits on one notebook page. Copy it into your field notebook, or make your own version, and fill one out for every animal you record. The fieldwork activity F-2.02 gives you practice.
This lesson is part of Certified Junior Herpetologist. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 30 hours).
