Tracy Jo Barker | |
---|---|
Born | Tracy Miller December 10, 1957 |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Herpetologist specializing in pythons |
Spouse | David G. Barker |
Parent |
|
Tracy Jo Barker (née Miller) (born December 10, 1957) [1] is an American herpetologist specializing in pythons.
Barker grew up in Washington, D.C., as the daughter of J. Jefferson Miller [2] [3] who was Curator of ceramics and glass at the Smithsonian Institution. [4] After an undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Colorado, [5] she graduated in biology at the Central Michigan University. [6] She also worked as a reptile keeper at Buffalo Zoological Gardens. [4] [7] Already in her early years, she specialized in herpetology and focused on animal behavior. She worked as a field biologist for repopulating Green Iguanas in Panama [8] [9] and studied the reproductive behavior of Tuatara on Stephens Island in New Zealand. [10] [4]
In 1990 she and her husband, biologist David G. Barker, founded Vida Preciosa International, Inc. (VPI), an enterprise dedicated to the research necessary to establish self-sustaining captive populations of pythons and boas. This facility became one of the largest and most diverse collection of pythons in the world; in 1997, the Barkers and their work at VPI were featured in a National Geographic Television documentary titled “Passion for Pythons”. [4] [11] [12] They managed to reproduce 32 of the 52 recognized taxa of pythons. Among them, the first ever reproduction of 12 taxa. [13]
Barker has written numerous papers in scientific journals as well as dozens of popular publications. In 1979, Barker described a new species of python Python saxuloides, which is currently regarded as a slightly distinct Kenyan population of the later re-erected Python natalensis. [14] [15] One of her five books, Pythons of the World, Volume 2: Ball Pythons, was certified as “The Best Animal Book of 2006” by the Independent Publisher Book Awards. [16]
In 2000 a new species of python, Morelia tracyae, was named in her honor. [17] [18]
Tracy Jo Barker | |
---|---|
Born | Tracy Miller December 10, 1957 |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Herpetologist specializing in pythons |
Spouse | David G. Barker |
Parent |
|
Tracy Jo Barker (née Miller) (born December 10, 1957) [1] is an American herpetologist specializing in pythons.
Barker grew up in Washington, D.C., as the daughter of J. Jefferson Miller [2] [3] who was Curator of ceramics and glass at the Smithsonian Institution. [4] After an undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Colorado, [5] she graduated in biology at the Central Michigan University. [6] She also worked as a reptile keeper at Buffalo Zoological Gardens. [4] [7] Already in her early years, she specialized in herpetology and focused on animal behavior. She worked as a field biologist for repopulating Green Iguanas in Panama [8] [9] and studied the reproductive behavior of Tuatara on Stephens Island in New Zealand. [10] [4]
In 1990 she and her husband, biologist David G. Barker, founded Vida Preciosa International, Inc. (VPI), an enterprise dedicated to the research necessary to establish self-sustaining captive populations of pythons and boas. This facility became one of the largest and most diverse collection of pythons in the world; in 1997, the Barkers and their work at VPI were featured in a National Geographic Television documentary titled “Passion for Pythons”. [4] [11] [12] They managed to reproduce 32 of the 52 recognized taxa of pythons. Among them, the first ever reproduction of 12 taxa. [13]
Barker has written numerous papers in scientific journals as well as dozens of popular publications. In 1979, Barker described a new species of python Python saxuloides, which is currently regarded as a slightly distinct Kenyan population of the later re-erected Python natalensis. [14] [15] One of her five books, Pythons of the World, Volume 2: Ball Pythons, was certified as “The Best Animal Book of 2006” by the Independent Publisher Book Awards. [16]
In 2000 a new species of python, Morelia tracyae, was named in her honor. [17] [18]