Marty Crump is a behavioral ecologist who works with tropical amphibians in the areas of parental care, reproduction, territoriality, cannibalism, and tadpole ecology. She has published several books based on her research and experiences in tropical areas such as 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....

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, and Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 including In Search of the Golden Frog -- one of the first books to sound the alarm about the precipitous decline in amphibian populations

Decline in amphibian populations

Dramatic declines in amphibian populations, including population crashes and mass localized extinctions, have been noted since the 1980s from locations all over the world...

 around the globe.

She studied at 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...

 under the eminent William Duellman, one of the world's top experts on tree frogs

Tree frog

Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as "tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semi-aquatic.-Characteristics:...

, receiving her Ph.D in 1974. She is currently an adjunct professor at Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 39 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.As of...

 and a Conservation Fellow of the Wildlife Conservation Society

Wildlife Conservation Society

The Wildlife Conservation Society based at the Bronx Zoo was founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society and currently manages some of wild places around the world, with over 500 field conservation projects in 60 countries, and 200 scientists on staff...

.

List of works

• Headless Males Make Great Lovers: And Other Unusual Natural Histories by Marty Crump (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2006, ISBN 9780226121994)

• In Search of the Golden Frog by Marty Crump (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000, ISBN 9780226121987)

• Mysteries of the Komodo Dragon: The Biggest, Deadliest Lizard Gives Up Its Secrets by Marty Crump (Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2010, ISBN 9781590787571)

• Sexy Orchids Make Lousy Lovers: & Other Unusual Relationships by Marty Crump (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2009, ISBN 9780226121857)

External links

• An excerpt from Headless Males Make Great Lovers: and Other Unusual Natural Histories

• An excerpt from In Search of the Golden Frog