Henry Sheldon Fitch
Encyclopedia
Henry Sheldon Fitch was an American
herpetologist
.
Fitch was born in Utica, New York
. When he was a year old, the family moved to Medford
in the Rogue Valley
in Oregon
. Growing up, he had a keen interest in all the reptiles he could find on his father's 116 acre
(0.5 km²) ranch. He recounts that he especially liked snake
s, because "the real bonus was in seeing horrified adults scatter."
In 1926, he enrolled at the University of Oregon
, but switched to UC Berkeley for his graduate work. He obtained his M.A.
in 1933 and a Ph.D.
in zoology
in 1937. From 1938 to 1947, he worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as a field biologist in the department of pest control, studying rodents such as squirrel
s, gopher
s, and kangaroo rat
s.
He served from 1941 to 1945 in the Medical Corps as an army pharmacist, stationed initially in the United Kingdom
, then France
, and finally in Germany
. In 1946, he married Virginia Ruby Preston, with whom he had three children. In 1948, Fitch accepted a position as Superintendent of the University of Kansas
Natural History Reservation and instructor of zoology, where he could again pursue his studies of snake
s and lizard
s. He became assistant professor in 1949 and full professor in 1958.
From 1965 on, he did extensive field work in Costa Rica
, Mexico
, Ecuador
, and the Dominican Republic
. In 1976, he took up field work in Nicaragua
and succeeded in getting a five-year-plan for Ctenosaura
conservation, which was instituted in the 1980s. He retired in 1980, but was still an active herpetologist as of 2006, collecting snakes and publishing papers.
On September 8, 2009 he died in the home of his daughter and son-in-law in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
herpetologist
Herpetology
Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles...
.
Fitch was born in Utica, New York
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
. When he was a year old, the family moved to Medford
Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...
in the Rogue Valley
Rogue Valley
The Rogue Valley is a farming and timber-producing region in southwestern Oregon in the United States. Located along the middle Rogue River and its tributaries in Josephine and Jackson counties, the valley forms the cultural and economic heart of Southern Oregon near the California border. The...
in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Growing up, he had a keen interest in all the reptiles he could find on his father's 116 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
(0.5 km²) ranch. He recounts that he especially liked snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, because "the real bonus was in seeing horrified adults scatter."
In 1926, he enrolled at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, but switched to UC Berkeley for his graduate work. He obtained his M.A.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in 1933 and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
in 1937. From 1938 to 1947, he worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as a field biologist in the department of pest control, studying rodents such as squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s, gopher
Gopher (animal)
The term gopher as it is commonly used does not relate to any one species, but is a generic term used to describe any of several small burrowing rodents endemic to North America, including the pocket gopher , also called true gophers, and the ground squirrel , including Richardson's ground squirrel...
s, and kangaroo rat
Kangaroo rat
Kangaroo rats, genus Dipodomys, are small rodents native to North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form: as they hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, although they are not related...
s.
He served from 1941 to 1945 in the Medical Corps as an army pharmacist, stationed initially in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, then France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and finally in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In 1946, he married Virginia Ruby Preston, with whom he had three children. In 1948, Fitch accepted a position as Superintendent of the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
Natural History Reservation and instructor of zoology, where he could again pursue his studies of snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s and lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s. He became assistant professor in 1949 and full professor in 1958.
From 1965 on, he did extensive field work in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, and the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. In 1976, he took up field work in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and succeeded in getting a five-year-plan for Ctenosaura
Ctenosaura
Ctenosaura is a genus of lizard commonly known as spinytail iguanas. The genus is part of the large lizard family, Iguanidae and is native to Mexico and Central America. The species range in size from about 5 inches to well over one meter. The distinctive feature of this genus is presence of the...
conservation, which was instituted in the 1980s. He retired in 1980, but was still an active herpetologist as of 2006, collecting snakes and publishing papers.
On September 8, 2009 he died in the home of his daughter and son-in-law in Stillwater, Oklahoma.