Klimley, A. Peter 1947–

(Abbott Peter Klimley)

PERSONAL: Born March 7, 1947, in White Plains, NY; son of Stanley P. (a commercial artist) and Dorothy (a fashion artist; maiden name, Abbott) Klimley; married April 7, 1971; wife's name Patricia M. (in biotechnology business). Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: State University of New York at Stony Brook, B.S., 1970; University of Miami, Coral Gables, M.S., 1976; University of California, San Diego, Ph.D., 1982.

ADDRESSES: Home—2870 Eastman Ln., Petaluma, CA 94952. Office—Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, 1334 Academic Surge Bldg., Biotelemetry Laboratory, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616; fax: 707-752-4154. Agent—Ed Knapman, New England Publishing Association, P.O. Box 5, Chester, CT 06412. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer, scientist, and educator. Chemistry teacher at a preparatory school in Tarrytown, NY, 1971–72; teacher of marine biology and oceanography at other schools in New York, 1972–73; University of California, San Diego, postdoctoral researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 1982–84, assistant research scientist, 1984–87; University of California, Davis, assistant research behaviorist at Bodega Marine Laboratory, 1987–95, associate research behaviorist, 1996–2001, adjunct associate professor of wildlife, fish, and conservation biology, 1999–.

H.T. Harvey and Associates, senior fisheries ecologist, 2001–02; chief scientist for sea cruises related to the study of sharks and other marine wildlife. Point Reyes Bird Observatory, research associate, 1991–; Centro de Investigaciones de Biologicas, La Paz, Mexico, adjunct faculty member, 1993–; University of California, Santa Cruz, research associate at Institute of Marine Science, 1997–; guest speaker at other institutions, including Southampton College, San Francisco State University, University of South Florida, University of Washington, Seattle, Oregon State University, University of California, Berkeley, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; symposium organizer; conference and seminar participant throughout the world. Consultant to Marine Acoustics, Inc. Affiliated with production of documentary films, some broadcast on Discovery Channel and programs Nova and Wild Kingdom, including: Hammerheads of Sea of Cortez, Don Meir Productions, 1982; Profiles of Ocean Pioneers, Public Broadcasting Service, 1983; World of Sharks, Turner Broadcasting Network and Public Broadcasting Service, 1988; Hammerhead Science in the Gulf of California, KTV-Television, 1989; The World of White Sharks, Osford Film Productions, 1993; Sharks, Audubon Films, 1994; The Red Triangle, Tom Horton Films, 1995; The Science of Shark Attacks, Turner Broadcasting Network, 1996; Hammerheads: Nomads of the Sea, Thomas Lucas Productions, 1998; Megahai, Beyond Productions Limited, 1998; Sharks of Cocos Islands, Howard Hall Productions, 1999; Tracking White Sharks at Año Nuevo Island, National Geographic Films, 1999; Megashark, Turner Broadcasting Network, 2000; and Sharks at the Farallones, KGO-TV Television, 2001. Guest on television and radio programs; public speaker.

MEMBER: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Elasmobranch Society, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Association for the Study of Animal Behavior, Sigma Xi.

AWARDS, HONORS: Scientific Achievement Award, Southern California Academy of Science, 1981; SNAP EXCEL Silver award, American Scientist, 1995, for article "The Predatory Behavior of the White Shark"; certificate of excellence, Bookbuilders West Book Show, 1998, for Great White Sharks: The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias; grants from institutions, organizations, and agencies, including Foundation for Ocean Research, Sea World-San Diego, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, National Undersea Research Program, National Geographic Society, Morris Animal Foundation, Bodega Marine Laboratory, California Department of Boating and Waterways, Discovery Channel, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Natal Sharks Board, National Audubon Society, Shark Research Institute, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Parks Service, and David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

WRITINGS:

(Editor, with D. G. Ainley, and contributor) Great White Sharks: The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias, Academic Press (San Diego, CA), 1996.

The Secret Life of Sharks: A Leading Biologist Reveals the Mysteries of Shark Behavior, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

Contributor to scientific journals and other periodicals, including California Fish and Game, Oceanus, Sea Frontiers, Marine Aquarist, Environmental Biology of Fishes, Fisheries Bulletin, Marine Biology, Marine Technology Journal, Natural History, and Journal of Comparative Psychology. Consulting editor, American Scientist, 1995–; "off-board" editor, Oecologia, 1997–.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Research on animal behavior and behavioral ecology of marine vertebrates; conservation; marine fisheries biology, ecology, and oceanography; and the development of behavioral and environmental sensors, computer-decoded telemetry, automated data logging, and archival tags.

SIDELIGHTS: A. Peter Klimley told CA: "I wrote The Secret Life of Sharks: A Leading Biologist Reveals the Mysteries of Shark Behavior for two reasons. First, I wanted to communicate to non-scientists the excite-ment, manner, and fulfillment of scientific exploration. Second, I wanted to provide the public with a moreaccurate and less-sensational image of the shark—debunking the myth that sharks are simply feeding machines. My approach was to start each chapter with a real-life experience and complete it with information that I learned from my scientific studies about sharks."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Scientist, January-February, 1998, Jose I. Castro, review of Great White Sharks: The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias, p. 89.

Booklist, July, 2003, Nancy Bent, review of The Secret Life of Sharks: A Leading Biologist Reveals the Mysteries of Shark Behavior, p. 1853.

Library Journal, June 1, 2003, Margaret Rioux, review of The Secret Life of Sharks, p. 158.

Publishers Weekly, June 9, 2003, review of The Secret Life of Sharks, p. 49

Quarterly Review of Biology, March, 1998, Robert H. Huetter, review of Great White Sharks, p. 82; December, 2003, David A. Ebert, review of The Secret Life of Sharks, p. 511.

Science News, July 12, 2003, review of The Secret Life of Sharks, p. 31.