Jenna Crowe-Riddell

Jenna Crowe-Riddell

School of Biological Sciences

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

My research focuses on the evolution senses and brains in reptiles. I like to take an integrative approach by using morpological, molecular and behavioural data to understand the evolution of complex sensory traits.

My current projects include an ARC Discovery Project investigating brain evolution in Australian squamates (snakes and lizards). This project aims uses diffusible iodine contrast-enhanced CT scanning to capture changes in brain shape and size during transitions to new ecologies/biomes. This research dovetails with development projects on how incubation temperature is impacting brain development in thermo-sensitive species like bearded dragons.

My current ARC DECRA project investigates the mechanisms underlying sensory adaptations in snakes. This research will harness innovative phenotypic imaging and genomic sequencing, to study the coordinated changes among sensory systems in a range of ecologically diverse snakes. Expected outcomes include a large database of 3D digital anatomical models from Australian and international museum collections, and new knowledge on the genetic processes influencing sensory receptor evolution in vertebrates.

These projects have benefits for conservation by using neural adaptability as a framework for estimating potential extinction risk for vulnerable species.

I am also passionate about conservation in sea snakes, helping to create an environmental DNA (eDNA) assay for detecting endangered sea snake species in Western Australian Marine Parks.

My research focuses on the evolution senses and brains in reptiles. I like to take an integrative approach by using morpological, molecular and behavioural data to understand the evolution of complex sensory traits.

My current projects include an ARC Discovery Project investigating brain evolution in Australian squamates (snakes and lizards). This project aims uses diffusible iodine contrast-enhanced CT scanning to capture changes in brain shape and size during transitions to new ecologies/biomes. This research dovetails with development projects on how incubation temperature is impacting brain development in thermo-sensitive species like bearded dragons. 

My current ARC DECRA project investigates the mechanisms underlying sensory adaptations in snakes. This research will harness innovative phenotypic imaging and genomic sequencing, to study the coordinated changes among sensory systems in a range of ecologically diverse snakes. Expected outcomes include a large database of 3D digital anatomical models from Australian and international museum collections, and new knowledge on the genetic processes influencing sensory receptor evolution in vertebrates.

These projects have benefits for conservation by using neural adaptability as a framework for estimating potential extinction risk for vulnerable species. 

I am also passionate about conservation in sea snakes, helping to create an environmental DNA (eDNA) assay for detecting endangered sea snake species in Western Australian Marine Parks. 

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2024 - ongoing ARC DECRA Fellow University of Adelaide
    2021 - 2024 Postdoctoral Researcher La Trobe University
    2019 - 2021 Postdoctoral Researcher University of Michigan
    2016 - ongoing Adminstrative assistant University of Adelaide
    2015 - ongoing PhD University of Adelaide

  • Awards and Achievements
    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2016 Scholarship Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship - - -

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2015 - 2019 University of Adelaide Australia PhD
    2014 - 2014 University of Adelaide Australia Ba of Science (1st Class Honours)
    2008 - 2011 Australian National University Australia Ba of Science

  • Research Interests
    Animal Cell and Molecular Biology Animal Neurobiology Evolutionary Biology Vertebrate Biology

  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2024 Collin, S. P., Yopak, K. E., Crowe-Riddell, J. M., Camilieri-Asch, V., Kerr, C. C., Robins, H., . . . Chapuis, L. (2024). Bioimaging of sense organs and the central nervous system in extant fishes and reptiles in situ: A review. Anatomical Record, 27 pages.
    DOI Scopus2 Europe PMC1
    2024 Crowe-Riddell, J. M., Zdenek, C. N., Sanders, K. L., & Rasmussen, A. R. (2024). Sea snakes. Current biology : CB, 34(17), R806-R807.
    DOI
    2023 Srodawa, K., Cerda, P. A., Davis Rabosky, A. R., & Crowe-Riddell, J. M. (2023). Evolution of Three-Finger Toxin Genes in Neotropical Colubrine Snakes (Colubridae). Toxins, 15(9), 16 pages.
    DOI Scopus2 Europe PMC1
    2023 Palci, A., Lee, M. S. Y., Crowe-Riddell, J., & Sherratt, E. (2023). Shape and size variation in elapid snake fangs, and the effects of phylogeny and diet. Evolutionary Biology, 50(4), 476-487.
    DOI Scopus1
    2022 Cerda, P. A., Crowe-Riddell, J. M., Gonçalves, D. J. P., Larson, D. A., Duda, T. F., & Davis Rabosky, A. R. (2022). Divergent Specialization of Simple Venom Gene Profiles among Rear-Fanged Snake Genera (Helicops and Leptodeira, Dipsadinae, Colubridae). Toxins, 14(7), 489.
    DOI Scopus7 Europe PMC4
    2022 Folwell, M., Sanders, K., & Crowe-Riddell, J. (2022). The Squamate Clitoris: A Review and Directions for Future Research.. Integrative and comparative biology, 62(3), 559-568.
    DOI Scopus5 WoS3 Europe PMC3
    2022 Folwell, M. J., Sanders, K. L., Brennan, P. L. R., & Crowe-Riddell, J. M. (2022). First evidence of hemiclitores in snakes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 289(1989), 7 pages.
    DOI Scopus10 Europe PMC4
    2021 Crowe-Riddell, J. M., Jolly, C. J., Goiran, C., & Sanders, K. L. (2021). The sex life aquatic: Sexually dimorphic scale mechanoreceptors and tactile courtship in a sea snake Emydocephalus annulatus (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 134(1), 154-164.
    DOI Scopus5 WoS1
    2021 García-Cobos, D., Gómez-Sánchez, D. A., Crowe-Riddell, J. M., Sanders, K. L., & Molina, J. (2021). Ecological and sexual roles of scale mechanoreceptors in two species of Neotropical freshwater snake (Dipsadinae: Helicops). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 134(4), 958-974.
    DOI Scopus3
    2021 Callahan, S., Crowe-Riddell, J. M., Nagesan, R. S., Gray, J. A., & Davis Rabosky, A. R. (2021). A guide for optimal iodine staining and high-throughput diceCT scanning in snakes. Ecology and Evolution, 11(17), 11587-11603.
    DOI Scopus20 Europe PMC12
    2021 Crowe-Riddell, J. M., Dix, S., Pieterman, L., Nankivell, J. H., Ford, M., Ludington, A. J., . . . Allen, L. (2021). From matte banded to glossy black: structures underlying colour change in the caudal lures of southern death adders (Acanthophis antarcticus, Reptilia: Elapidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 132(3), 666-675.
    DOI Scopus6 WoS3
    2019 Crowe-Riddell, J. M., Simões, B. F., Partridge, J. C., Hunt, D. M., Delean, S., Schwerdt, J. G., . . . Sanders, K. L. (2019). Phototactic tails: evolution and molecular basis of a novel sensory trait in sea snakes. Molecular Ecology, 28(8), 1-16.
    DOI Scopus16 WoS12 Europe PMC10
    2019 Lillywhite, H. B., Sheehy, C. M., Sandfoss, M. R., Crowe-Riddell, J., & Grech, A. (2019). Drinking by sea snakes from oceanic freshwater lenses at first rainfall ending seasonal drought. PLoS ONE, 14(2), 11 pages.
    DOI Scopus18 Europe PMC5
    2019 Crowe-Riddell, J. M., Williams, R., Chapuis, L., & Sanders, K. L. (2019). Ultrastructural evidence of a mechanosensory function of scale organs (sensilla) in sea snakes (Hydrophiinae). Royal Society Open Science, 6(4), 16 pages.
    DOI Scopus18 WoS12 Europe PMC4
    2019 Crowe-Riddell, J. M., D'Anastasi, B. R., Nankivell, J. H., Rasmussen, A. R., & Sanders, K. L. (2019). First records of sea snakes (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae) diving to the mesopelagic zone (>200 m). Austral Ecology, 44(4), 752-754.
    DOI Scopus14 WoS10
    2018 Udyawer, V., Barnes, P., Bonnet, X., Brischoux, F., Crowe-Riddell, J. M., D'Anastasi, B., . . . Voris, H. K. (2018). Future directions in the research and management of marine snakes. Frontiers in Marine Science, Nov 2018(5), 1-16.
    DOI Scopus29 WoS20
    2016 Crowe-Riddell, J., Snelling, E., Watson, A., Suh, A., Partridge, J., & Sanders, K. (2016). The evolution of scale sensilla in the transition from land to sea in elapid snakes. Open Biology, 6(6), 160054-1-160054-12.
    DOI Scopus33 WoS21 Europe PMC10
    2012 Langmore, N., Feeney, W., Crowe-Riddell, J., Luan, H., Louwrens, K., & Cockburn, A. (2012). Learned recognition of brood parasitic cuckoos in the superb fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus. Behavioral Ecology, 23(4), 798-805.
    DOI Scopus51

  • Book Chapters
    Year Citation
    2023 Crowe-Riddell, J. M., & Lillywhite, H. B. (2023). Sensory systems. In C. Warwick, & P. C. Arena (Eds.), Health and Welfare of Captive Reptiles (pp. 45-91). Springer Link.
    DOI Scopus9

  • Conference Papers
    Year Citation
    2023 Folwell, M. J., Sanders, K. L., & Crowe-Riddell, J. M. (2023). The squamate clitoris: A review and directions for future research. In INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY Vol. 62 (pp. S97-S98). ELECTR NETWORK: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC.
    2020 Crowe-Riddell, J. M., Pieterman, L., Simoes, B. F., Nankivell, J. H., Ford, M., Ludington, A., . . . Sanders, K. L. (2020). Ontogenetic change in hue and structure of caudal lure reflects dietary shift in Australian death adders (Elapidae). In INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY Vol. 60 (pp. E304). Austin, TX: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC.
    2017 Crowe-Riddell, J. M., Lillywhite, H. B., Partridge, J. C., & Sanders, K. L. (2017). Tail photoreception: investigating a novel sensory system in Australian sea snakes. In INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY Vol. 57 (pp. E235). New Orleans, LA: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC.

  • Datasets
    Year Citation
    - Crowe-Riddell, J. (n.d.). From matte banded to glossy black: Structures underlying colour change in the caudal lures of southern death adders (Acanthophis antarcticus, Reptilia: Elapidae).
    DOI
    - Crowe-Riddell, J., & Sanders, K. (n.d.). Images of Emydocephalus annulatus scale protuberances.
    DOI
    - Crowe-Riddell, J., & Sanders, K. (n.d.). Histology of Emydocephalus annulatus skin.
    DOI

  • Filesets
    Year Citation
    - VAHLQUIST, B. O., & WALLGREN, A. (n.d.). Nils Rosén von Rosenstein and His Textbook of Pædiatrics.
    DOI
    - Crowe-Riddell, J., Simoes, B., Schwerdt, J., Ludington, A., Breen, J., & Sanders, K. (n.d.). Phototactic tails manuscript ESM-Files.
    DOI

  • Media
    Year Citation
    - Crowe-Riddell, J., & Sanders, K. (n.d.). Video of courtship behaviour in turtle headed sea snakes.
    DOI
    - Crowe-Riddell, J., & Sanders, K. (n.d.). From matte banded to glossy black: Structures underlying colour change in the caudal lures of southern death adders (Acanthophis antarcticus, Reptilia: Elapidae).
    DOI

2024–2027: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) 2024, Australian Research Council, “Serpent sensory innovation in the evolutionary transition from land to sea” ($423,232; DE240100501) 

2023–2026: Discovery Project, Australian Research Council, “Plastic brains: Neural adaptations to changing environments in reptiles” ($430,000; DP230101438) Lead CI

2023: Imaging and Medical Beamline at the Australian Synchrotron, Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), “Nervous and sensory systems of Australian reptiles and fishes: a neuroecological study”, (in kind grant value $65,568) Co-CI

2022–2023: Our Marine Grants – Round 3, Parks Australia, “Role of Australian Marine Parks in connecting and conserving sea snake populations across northern Australia” ($400,000) Co-CI

202 –2022: ECRs and MCRs Awards, La Trobe University, “Plastic brains: Neural adaptations to changing environments in reptiles” ($45,255) Sole CI

2021–2022: Minderoo Foundation Exmouth Research Laboratory, Minderoo Foundation, “Can eDNA be used to find cryptic populations of critically-endangered sea snakes?” (in kind grant value $20,000) Lead CI

2020–2022: Margaret Middleton Fund for Endangered Vertebrates, Australia Academy of Sciences, “Can eDNA be used to find cryptic populations of critically-endangered sea snakes?” ($18,900) Lead CI

2016: Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship, Australian American Fulbright Commission Sole CI

2024: Zoology II Lecturer for Vertebrate Evolution and Diversity module

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2025 Co-Supervisor Anatomical comparison of features used for chemical communication in terrestrial and marine Sauropsida Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Lisa-Marie Kiessling
    2022 Co-Supervisor Evolution and conservation genetics of sea snakes Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Amelia Rose Pointon
    2021 Co-Supervisor Reproduction and genital morphology of snakes Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Megan Folwell

  • Memberships
    Date Role Membership Country
    2015 - ongoing - Sea snake specialist group -
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