Biography;

Herpetologist; university professor. Born– Montgomery, October 5, 1939. Parents– Robert F. and Janie Moore Gibbons. Married–Carolyn Conley, January 26, 1963.  Children–four.  Education– University of Alabama, B.S., 1961; M.A., 1963; Michigan State University, Ph. D., 1967. Worked at University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Lab, 1967-83; professor of zoology at University of Georgia, 1983-2008. Continues to head the Environmental Outreach and Education Program for the Savannah River Ecology Lab. Produced radio programs and newspaper columns on ecology and related subjects. Active as a public speaker and consultant.  Member Herpetologists’ League; American Society of Icthyologists and Herpetologists; Ecological Society of America;  Association of Southeastern Biologists. Received the Meritorious Teaching Award from the Association of Southeast Biologists, 1995; South Carolina Governor’s Award for Environmental Education, 1995; Award for best radio presentation, Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, 1997. Awarded professor emeritus status at the University of Georgia on his retirement in 2008.

Source;

Contemporary Authors online.

Publications;

Keeping All the Pieces: Perspectives on Natural History and the Environment.  Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993.; reprint University of Georgia Press, 2010.

Life History and Ecology of the Slider Turtle. Washington, DC:  Smithsonian Institution Press, 1990.

Their Blood Runs Cold:  Adventures with Reptiles and Amphibians.  University of Alabama Press,  1983.

Joint_Publications;

Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia.  UGA Press, 2008.

Ecoviews:  Snakes, Snails, and Environmental Tales.  University of Alabama Press, 1998.

Frogs and Toads of the Southeast.  University of Georgia Press, 2008.

Frogs:  The Animal Answer Guide.  Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011.

Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of the Savannah River Site.  University of Georgia Press, 1991.

Lizards and Crocodilians of the Southeast.  University of Georgia Press, 2009.

North American Watersnakes:  A Natural History.  University of Oklahoma, 2004.

Poisonous Plants and Venomous Animals of Alabama and Adjoining States.  University of Alabama Press, 1990.

Salamanders of the Southeast.  University of Georgia Press, 2010.

Snakes of the Southeast.  University of Georgia Press, 2005.

Turtles of the Southeast.  University of Georgia Press, 2008.

Turtles:  The Animal Answer Guide.  Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009.

Editor:

Energy and Environmental Stress in Aquatic Systems.  Technical Information Systems, 1977.

Contributor;

Stress Effects on Natural Ecosystems.  Wiley, 1981.

Thermal Ecology.  Oak Ridge, TN:  Technical Information Service, 1974.