Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello Mr. Bayless

I wanted to ask you a question. I have noticed that you have written columns in magazines (Reptiles. Thats the one i remeber off the top of my head) on monitors. Now what i really wanted to know is, unless you oppose to answer, what exactly is your career? Are you a field biologist or something along those lines?Might i even ask, what college did you go to and what was your course of study? I'm only 15 and i always wanted to be a herpetologist. Thanks for your time.

Keith S

Hello Keith,

Thanks for your post. I went to several colleges, universities and junior colleges to get my degree in biology and animal behavior (=ethology). I am not a field biologist, but a pre-K school teacher in public schools, but have taught K-12 for 22 years now. I got interested in monitor lizards some 24 years ago, when herpetoculture was very different. I kept monitors for 22 years before my lousy health prohibited me from doing that anymore, and I miss them. I have collected thousands of articles, personal notes from varanid keepers, tourists, etc about monitors all over the world, and have so much material I don't have file cabinet space for them anymore, some of it in stacks in my study...its all about passion and trying to understand these animals thats alot of fun, and I try to learn something new everyday about them.

The europeans were excelling at breeding and learning of monitors in 70's-present, and still do much for this group of reptiles, but in north america many such well known biologists/herpetologists teach here too (Eric Pianka, Sam Sweet, Greg Erickson, F. Wayne King, and many many zoo keepers and museum staff around the country....if your interested in herpetology specifically, email/write to the people above, talk to local natural history museum staff/professionals who may be able to help you with ideas and plans for college. Best advice I can give is take advanced placement couses in science in your high school, and a foreign language too, maybe german or french as those are most often languages written in on monitors in europe, and if you want to study monitors for a career either/both of those languages will help you.
good luck,
mbayless

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