Dr. Brady Barr

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The famous herpetologist, Dr. Brady Barr also known as "Gator Doc", turns his passion for animal life in, some of the most ambitious field research.

Which includes the study of the diet of alligators from the Florida Everglades, the study of the jumping crocodiles in Cuba, and also the location of a mysterious clan of snake handlers in Myanmar.

In 1997, Dr. Barr was hired by National Geographic Television as a field specialist for the weekly series Explorer, becoming National Geographic's resident herpetologist. His participation in the National Geographic series includes:

Reptile Wild, with Dr. Brady Barr
Croc Chronicles, with Dr. Brady Barr
Dangerous Encounters, with Dr. Brady Barr

But also the study of white sharks in South Africa and the preservation project of the American crocodile in Costa Rica.

His adventures traveling around the world, took him to many exotic places such as Borneo, Australia, South Africa, India, or China. In is line of work he is bound to have some accidents or injuries, as he deals face to face with some of the most dangerous animals in the world like crocodiles, some of the most venomous snakes and also the biggest snakes in the world.

In 2007, in the episode "Dangerous Encounters - Snake bite", Dr. Barr tangled with a 4 meter long reticulated python, in a guano (bat poop) filled cave in Indonesia. In the obscurity Barr and another scientist try to capture the snake, but it somehow gets loose and bites Dr. Brady Barr in the thigh.

But he is a man that loves his job and he returned to the same cave only 6 weeks later. In another episode he measured the bite force of several large animals being able to compare it with the 5000 pounds (2,5 tons) crocodile bite.

Brady Robert Barr was born in 1963 in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where he majored in science education and taught at North Central High School. Dr. Barr taught topics such as zoology, biology and earth science and life, promoting an interactive style in the classroom to encourage students to "touch, see and feel the animals."

After moving to Florida to pursue graduate studies at the University of Miami, Dr. Brady Barr began extensive studies on the diet of the American Alligator in the Florida Everglades National Park. The results of his ambitious research project helped to preserve the unique ecosystem of the Everglades. Barr received his academic title of Master of Science (1994) and Ph.D. in Biology (1997) from the same university. He is known as the first herpetologist to have captured all extant crocodilian species, 23 in total.

His recent work in Costa Rica as a researcher for National Geographic focuses on the conservation and preservation of the American crocodile. The Preservation Project of the American Crocodile has 3 goals: education, the restocking of rivers and transport of the crocodiles to new locations.

The style of Dr. Brady Barr makes scientific concepts especially accessible to children and he continually makes the education of young minds one of the main focus of his research, preservation and crocodile conservation projects. In Costa Rica, the most important part of his research has been working with local school children and coordination of efforts in the release of baby crocodiles that will help them understand the importance of the crocodiles in its ecosystem. His work and reputation as long been helping in the preservation of endangered crocodiles and alligators all over the world.

See also:

Crocodiles for kids
Where crocodiles live
Where do alligators live
Alligator facts for kids