Who We Are
The Herpetology Collective operates this website, herpcollective.org, offering herpetological education including the Certified Herpetological Guide online course. These terms govern your use of the site and any course you purchase through it. If you have questions, contact us at hivemind@herpcollective.org.
Using This Site
You may browse the site, read the free resources, and enroll in courses. You agree not to use the site in a way that disrupts it for others, attempts to access accounts or data that aren’t yours, or violates any applicable law.
Accounts
When you create an account to enroll in a course, you’re responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and for activity that happens under your account. Let us know at hivemind@herpcollective.org if you believe your account has been accessed without your permission.
You must be 13 or older to create an account.
Course Access and License
When you purchase a course, we grant you a personal, non-transferable license to access that course’s content for your own learning. You may not share your login, resell access, redistribute course materials, or use them to build a competing course. This mirrors the license already published on the Primer: personal, educational use is welcome; reselling or repackaging the material is not.
Certificates of completion are issued to the individual who completed the course and verify that completion — they are not a professional license or credential recognized by any regulatory body unless we say so explicitly.
Payment and Refunds
Course prices are shown at checkout before you pay. Payment is processed through PayPal; we don’t store your full card details ourselves. Our refund terms are covered in full on the Refund and Returns Policy page — that page governs, not a summary here.
Free Resources
The Primer and other free resources are provided under the license stated on those pages (Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 for the Primer specifically). These Terms don’t add restrictions beyond what’s stated there.
Intellectual Property
Course content, the Primer, site text, and original images are owned by The Herpetology Collective or used with permission, except where a specific page states otherwise (such as guest-authored articles, which remain their authors’ work). Course enrollment gives you a license to use the material as described above — it doesn’t transfer ownership.
No Professional Advice
Course content is educational. It is not a substitute for professional veterinary care, wildlife rehabilitation licensure, or legal advice about wildlife regulations in your jurisdiction. Regulations on keeping, handling, or interacting with reptiles and amphibians vary by location — you’re responsible for knowing and following the rules where you live.
Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability
The site and courses are provided “as is.” We work to keep information accurate and the platform running, but we don’t guarantee the site or course will be uninterrupted, error-free, or available at all times. To the extent permitted by law, The Herpetology Collective isn’t liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the site or a course. Nothing here limits liability that can’t legally be limited.
Changes to These Terms
We may update these terms as the site and courses evolve. We’ll update this page when we do. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the updated terms.
Governing Law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Louisiana, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles.
Contact
Questions about these terms: hivemind@herpcollective.org.