D. Bruce Means
D. Bruce Means, herpetologist
Past Director of Tall Timbers Research Station (1976-1984), Dr. Bruce Means is presently Executive Director of Coastal Plains Institute (since 1984) and Courtesy Professor, Florida State University Department of Biological Science (since 1976). A field ecologist with more than 45 years’ experience, his main research interests center on fire ecology, longleaf pine ecosystem, tropical biology, tepui ecology, biogeography, pond ecology, amphibians and reptiles, and rare and endangered species. He has published more than 260 scientific research papers, contract reports, and popular articles and is author of three books, “Priceless Florida” and “Florida, Magnificent Wilderness” about the ecology of Florida, and the just-released, “Stalking the Plumed Serpent and Other Adventures in Herpetology.” He co-produced and starred in eight documentary films for National Geographic Explorer, BBC Television, and PBS. His most exciting recent research is the discovery of an unrecognized biodiversity hotspot on a previously unexplored tepui in Guyana, South America, where he has found 9 frogs, one giant earthworm, and two terrestrial crabs that are new to science.
His books are:
- Priceless Florida, Natural Ecosystems and Native Species, by Ellie Whitney, D. Bruce Means, and Ann R. Rudloe. 2004. Pineapple Press, Sarasota, FL. 423 pp.
- Florida Magnificent Wilderness, State Lands, Parks, and Natural Areas, by James Valentine and D. Bruce Means. 2006. Pineapple Press, Sarasota, FL. 145 pp.
- Stalking the Plumed Serpent, and Other Adventures in Herpetology, by D. Bruce Means. 2008. Pineapple Press, Sarasota, FL. 238 pp.
- Diamonds in the Rough, Natural History of the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, by D. Bruce Means. (In preparation, possibly for Cornell or University of Georgia Press.)
- Islands in the Sky, Lost Worlds of El Dorado, by D. Bruce Means and Jim Valentine. (In preparation.)
- Treasures of the Lost World, by D. Bruce Means (In preparation.)
- A Naturalist in the Garden of Eden, by D. Bruce Means. (In preparation.)
