Peter Brazaitis has spent his life working with amphibians and
reptiles. He recently retired from a career with the New York
Zoological Society (Wildlife Conservation Society) as the
Superintendent of Herpetology at the Bronx Zoo, and later as a curator
of the Central Park Zoo. Beginning in the 1970s he has assisted the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the identification of rare species,
and to this day continues his work as a forensic herpetologist,
identifying amphibian and reptile species in products used in illegal
trade.
Peter also regularly teaches training
workshops and courses on wildlife artifact identification and the
husbandry of his favorite group of organisms, the crocodilians. He has
conducted field research on Goliath frogs in Cameroon, and on
crocodilian population biology throughout South America and on Palau.
He is the author of several books and many scientific papers on
crocodilian biology, conservation, and the reptile skin trade. Within
the Yale Peabody Museum he continues to conduct research into
crocodilian biology, and is collaborating with staff and affiliates in
the Division of Vertebrate Zoology on several projects.
