Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Zoologist Chris Hobson examines an eastern big-eared bat.If you need something caught, you call Chris Hobson. This is a man who, as a child, caught a bass with nothing but a stick, some yarn, a safety pin and a honeysuckle flower. If that isn’t a fish story, you’ve never heard a good one.
Catching critters and fishing with his dad pretty much sums up Hobson’s childhood. Although he did play sports like most kids, “When I had free time, I was in the creeks pulling up rocks and tossing logs to look for snakes and salamanders,” Hobson noted.
When Hobson started contemplating his future he thought he might be a medical doctor but, after some soul searching and encouragement from his sister, he realized that he wouldn’t be happy unless he was outside searching for critters. So he headed to Ferrum College to pursue a degree in biology.
It was at Ferrum that he had his first ah-ha moment. “It was my first bat survey. I walked into a cave for the first time. I was with my professor and a DCR zoologist. I walked in, and there were blankets of bats on the ceiling – I was hooked,” said Hobson.
After earning a master’s degree at Tennessee Tech, he headed straight to DCR. This was in 1993, and he has since been combing the commonwealth searching for rare, interesting and new-to-science species.
Because his position relies heavily on funding from contracts that specify the species to be surveyed, he’s been able to diverge from his long time love of bats, reptiles and amphibians to learn all about invertebrates, including dragonflies, damselflies, skippers, arthropods and isopods. Arthropods have been a particular challenge for Hobson because there aren’t many arthropod experts so he often didn’t know what he had until he’d viewed it under a microscope. Hobson notes, “People who aren’t curious wouldn’t enjoy the work we do. You must be enthusiastic about learning and curious about everything – diversify as much as possible.”
During Hobson’s tenure at DCR, he’s been part of several historic discoveries, including the first Southeastern myotis (bat) recorded in Virginia and the first Southern chorus frogs discovered here.
Hobson said that his dream workday would first include a trip to Floyd County in search of bog turtles. Later, as dusk neared, he’d enter a cave he’d never been to and look for something new. Once an explorer, always an explorer.
Although his childhood is long gone, sports are still in his blood. Most weekends he can be found coaching whatever sport his three kids are playing… and serving as taxi driver extraordinaire.
