Jeremy Klank
Jeremy Klank
Title
Location
Pronouns
Education
about
Faculty Profile
Born and raised in the small town of Carrizal de Alajuela, Jeremy grew up surrounded by cloud forests and coffee plantations, which led him to pursue a lifelong passion for understanding nature. He studied biology at the University of Costa Rica, where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in 2021 and master’s degree in 2025. His main focus groups are amphibians and reptiles, and he has been working with these animals since 2017, particularly regarding their ecology, taxonomy, and conservation.
Deeply committed to environmental education, Jeremy believes that the key to protecting the natural world lies in inspiring others to care about it. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for wildlife, hoping to create a connection between people and the nature around them.
Academics & Research
Research Interests
I am broadly interested in the ecology and conservation of amphibians and reptiles. My current main research focuses on the chemical ecology of Costa Rican poison frogs and the relationship between their diet, their toxin profiles, and their defense mechanisms against predators. Since 2018 I have been working on better understanding the distribution of amphibians and reptiles of Costa Rica, with emphasis on the populations of endangered species and the description of new species to aid in their conservation.
- Chemical Ecology
- Taxonomy
- Conservation of amphibians
- Community Ecology
Professional Affiliations
outputs
Publications
Klank, J., Chaves, G., Castro, K. & Arias, E., (2025). A new species of salamander of the genus Bolitoglossa (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from the highest massif of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica. Zootaxa 5642(5), 427-450.
Elizondo Muñoz, N., Fonseca Marín, R., Blanco Vela, J. A., Castro Álvarez, E., Cruz Cruz, E., Mejía Marín, N., Fonseca Marín, J., Cruz Lacayo, I., Sánchez Avendaño, C., Klank Araya, J., Hernández Cubillo, J., Araya Villalobos, V., Bordas Hernández, A., Vargas Flores, C., Castillo Quirós, M. I., Zamora Miranda, P., Cerdas Chavarría, M., Artavia Hernández, F., Fernández Barboza, A. C., Vargas Montero, E., Mora Molina, K., Elizondo Valverde, C., & Hutchison Martínez, V. (2025).
Orróqui maráma ó fácsufá maráma ófa ó maráfáquesufá maráma ní múri ó tíco púcsufá maráma: Enciclopedia malecu de los animales [Malecu encyclopedia of animals]. Universidad de Costa Rica.
Jiménez-Mejías, P., Manzano, S., Gowda, V., Krell, F.-T., Lin, M.-Y., Martín-Bravo, S., Martín-Torrijos, L., Nieto Feliner, G., Mosyakin, S. L., Naczi, R. F. C., Acedo, C., Álvarez, I., Crisci, J. V., Luceño Garcés, M., Manning, J., Moreno Saiz, J. C., Muasya, A. M., Riina, R., Sánchez Meseguer, A., Sánchez-Mata, D., et al. (2024). Protecting stable biological nomenclatural systems enables universal communication: A collective international appeal. BioScience, 74(7), 467–472.
Klank J., Protti-Sánchez, F., Mora, P., Rowland, H.M. & Stynoski, J.L. (2023). How to move and when to escape: Quantifying the exploratory and anti-predator behaviour of an aposematic poison frog. Evolutionary Ecology, 2023, 1-18.
Klank, J., Protti-Sánchez, F., Triana-Rincón, F. & Stynoski, J.L. (2023) Thanatosis in the floating rocket frog, Silverstoneia flotator (Anura: Dendrobatidae) from Costa Rica. Herpetology Notes, 16, 349-351
Klank, J., Chaves, G., & Arias, E. (2020). Range expansion of the Gulf Coast Toad, Incilius valliceps, (Wiegmann, 1833) (Anura, Bufonidae), from Costa Rica. Check List, 16, 753-757.
Hilje, B., Chaves, G., Klank, J., Timmerman, F., Feltham, J., Gillingwater, S., Piraino T. & Rojas, E. (2020). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Tirimbina Biological Reserve: a baseline for conservation, research and environmental education in a lowland tropical wet forest in Costa Rica. Check List, 16, 1633-1655.
Chaves-Acuña, W., Chaves, G., Klank, J., Arias, E., Bolaños, F., Shepack, A., Leenders, T., Cossel, J.O. & Faivovich, J. (2020). Recent findings of Isthmohyla pictipes (Anura: Hylidae) in Costa Rica: variation and implications for conservation. Zootaxa, 4881(3), 499-514.