Thane Wibbels

Thane Wibbels is a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) who specializes in zoology, physiology, evolution, and ecology. His research ventures focus on sea turtle endocrinology and conservation, centering around marine sea turtles with an emphasis on temperature-dependent sex determination.

Early life and education Wibbels was born and raised in Columbus, Nebraska. During his formative years, due to family travel and exposure to televised science programs such as the National Geographic and Jacques Cousteaus, Wibbels acquired a broad interest in biology. After graduating high school, Wibbels attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) and graduated with his B.S. in Zoology in 1978. The documentary explored the near extinction of the Kemp's ridley sea turtle and conservation efforts implemented in the Gulf of Mexico by the U.S. and Mexico in the early 1980's. Since 1998, Wibbels has continued to contribute to the conservation of the Kemp's ridley sea turtle through collaboration with the bi-national recovery program for the Kemp's ridley.

Sea turtle reproductive endocrinology and ecology While pursuing his Ph.D. in Zoology at Texas A&M, Wibbels conducted research on multiple sea turtle species, including the olive ridley sea turtle, the loggerhead sea turtle, the hawksbill sea turtle, and the Kemp's ridley sea turtle. Wibbels traveled to Mexico to study the olive ridley sea turtle, and to Florida to study loggerhead sea turtles in collaboration with Dr. Llewellyn Ehrhart of the University of Central Florida. on studying the reproductive endocrinology and ecology of sea turtles. Their team captured approximately 900 sea turtles over the course of six months, capturing, tagging, and collecting blood samples on juvenile to adult sea turtles. Wibbels contributed to research exploring adult sea turtle reproductive endocrinology as a Ph.D. student.

Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) Since obtaining his doctorate, Wibbels has primarily been conducting research on the physiology, ecology, and evolution of temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) in reptiles and its implications for the conservation of endangered species. Since then, Wibbels has worked at UAB researching TSD in the red-eared slider as well as other reptile species, namely sea turtles species, and understanding the relationship between TSD, conservation, and climate change. 2016: Lifetime Achievement Award, Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Symposium 2005–2008: Member of the Board of Directors, International Sea Turtle Society 2004–2005: President of the International Sea Turtle Society

Select publications

Bevan E., Wibbels T., Najera B.M.Z., Sarti L., Martinez F.I., Cuevas J.M., Gallaway B.J., Pena L.J., Burchfield P.M. 2016. Estimating the historic size and current status of the Kemp's ridley sea turtle ( Lepidochelys kempii ) population Ecosphere. 7. DOI: 10.1002/Ecs2.1244 Wibbels, T. and E. Bevan. 2019. “IUCN Red List” World-Wide Assessment of the Conservation Status of the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii). (2019 IUCN, Morges, Switzerland). Wibbels, T., Roberge, T., and Place, A. (2018). Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination in the Diamond-Backed Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin). In: Biology of the Diamond-Backed Terrapin (W. Roosenburg and V. Kennedy, eds). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp 127–145. Brieser, K., Wibbels, T. 2014. Chronology, Magnitude and Duration of Expression of Putative Sex-Determining/Differentiation Genes in a Turtle with Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination. Sexual Development, 8 (6): 364–375. Tapilatu, R.F., Dutton, P.H., Tiwari, M., Wibbels, T., Ferdinandus, H.V., Iwanggin, W.G., (2013). Long-term decline of the western Pacific leatherback, Dermochelys coriacea: a globally important sea turtle species. Ecosphere 4:1–15. LeBlanc, A.M, Wibbels, T., Shaver, D., Walker, S. (2012) The effects of temperature on the sex determination in the Kemp’s ridley. Endangered Species Research 19:123–128. Wibbels, T. (2008) Sex Determination and Sex Ratio in Ridley Sea Turtles. In: Biology and Conservation of Ridley Sea Turtles. P. Plotkin (ed) Johns Hopkins University Press. pp 167–189. Wibbels T. (2003) Critical approaches to sex determination in sea turtle biology and conservation. In: Biology of Sea Turtles, Volume 2. P. Lutz, J. Musik, J. Wynekan (eds), CRC Press. pp 103–134.