Conservation Lecture reveals the truth behind endangered reptiles’ nasty reputation

ATLANTA – October 20, 2008 –  Dr. Daniel Beck’s adventures with venomous lizards are more intimate than most: a gila monster once crawled into his sleeping bag. Not only did Dr. Beck survive that awkward encounter, but he has also dedicated his career to searching for his bedfellow’s cousins – some of Earth’s most feared and mythologized creatures. On November 6, Dr. Beck will separate truth from legend and fact from fiction in Gila Monsters and Beaded Lizards: New Icons for the Value of Biodiversity, the final installment in Zoo Atlanta’s 2008 Conservation Lecture Series.

Dr. Beck

Regarded for centuries with near-hysterical fear, the venom of gila monsters and beaded lizards may actually hold the key to the treatment of human diseases like diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s. Fascinating, entertaining and at times unexpected, Dr. Beck’s presentation defies one of the animal kingdom’s worst reputations in favor of saving a critically important group of animals from extinction.

Dr. Beck offers compelling insights into the enigmatic lives and habits of these elusive reptiles, as well as provocative evidence for the effectiveness of replacing extermination with education.

Presentation begins promptly at 7 p.m. in the Coca-Cola World Studio of Zoo Atlanta’s Conservation Action Resource Center (ARC); doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Conservation Lecture Series is free for Serengeti Members and above; $5 for all other Zoo Members; $7 for non-Members. Reservations are required. Please make reservations at least one week in advance by visiting zooatlanta.org or calling 404.624.WILD.

About Daniel D. Beck, PhD
A Professor of Biology at Central Washington University, Dr. Daniel D. Beck is the author of The Biology of Gila Monsters and Beaded Lizards. A preeminent authority on helodermatid lizards, Dr. Beck has devoted 25 years to the study of gila monsters, beaded lizards and their relatives in the deserts of the U.S. and the tropical dry forests of Mexico.

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