BEHLER, John L. 1943-

PERSONAL:

Born June 28, 1943, in Allentown, PA; son of John Luther and Mildred (a homemaker; maiden name, Ludwig) Behler; married Deborah A. Behler (a writer and editor), February 25, 1978; children: Cynthia Sibilia, David. Education: University of Miami, B.S.; East Stroudsburg University, M.Ed.

ADDRESSES:

Home—20 Elisha Purdy Rd., Amawalk, NY 10510. Office—Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx Zoo, Bronx, NY 10460-1099.

CAREER:

Curator, naturalist, and writer. Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx Zoo, Bronx, NY, curator of herpetology.

WRITINGS:

(With F. Wayne King) The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians, Knopf (New York, NY), 1979, published as National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians, 2000.

Familiar Reptiles and Amphibians: North America, Knopf (New York, NY), 1988.

(Editor) Massimo Capula, Simon and Schuster's Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of the World, illustrated by Giuseppe Mazza, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1989.

(With wife, Deborah A. Behler) Alligators and Crocodiles, Voyageur Press (Stillwater, MN), 1998.

National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Reptiles ("First Field Guide" series), Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Deborah A. Behler) Snakes, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2001.

SIDELIGHTS:

John L. Behler is a respected naturalist and curator at the Bronx Zoo who specializes in herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians. Out of his work he has produced several books, often in collaboration with other naturalists. With F. Wayne King, Behler produced The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians, which was greeted by reviewers as a new standard for field guides, featuring clear photographs and illustrations and prose descriptions of each species marked by concision and interest. With his wife, Deborah A. Behler, Behler wrote Alligators and Crocodiles, and according to Michael A. Palladino in American Biology Teacher, "they do an excellent job of incorporating interesting and significant facts about the animals they study."

On his own, Behler authored National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Reptiles, part of the "First Field Guide" series produced by the National Audubon Society for young naturalists. The organization of the volume "make[s] it easy to identify each animal and its relatives," remarked Michele Snyder in School Library Journal. A contributor to Appraisal, in a review of the same book and three other works that launched the series, concluded that they were highly worthy additions to a library or nature lover's personal collection. "These little …books present a brief, competent, but interesting view with outstanding photography and descriptions," the reviewer concluded.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Biology Teacher, May, 2000, Michael A. Palladino, review of Alligators and Crocodiles, p. 388.

American Reference Books Annual, 1981, Paul B. Cors, review of The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians, pp. 676-677.

Appraisal, spring-summer-fall, 2000, review of National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Reptiles, p. 144.

Choice, April, 1980, review of The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians, p. 243.

Library Journal, March 1, 1980, Katharine Galloway Garstka, review of The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians, p. 623.

New Scientist, August 8, 1998, review of Alligators and Crocodiles, p. 46.

School Library Journal, July, 1999, Michele Snyder, review of National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Reptiles, pp. 103-104.