David C. Wareham is a herpetologist, natural historian and author who has worked with amphibians and reptiles from across the world, in the field and the laboratory, for six decades. He has written widely on herpetology and natural history, and his earlier reference works include The Reptile and Amphibian Keeper’s Dictionary (1993) and Elsevier’s Dictionary of Herpetological and Related Terminology (2005). His research interests include morphology, behaviour, ecology and conservation.