Ditmars, Raymond Lee (1876–1942)

US herpetologist. He became curator of reptiles at the New York Zoological Park, before taking charge of the zoo's mammals. He began lecturing in New York City schools, supplementing his lectures with home-made educational movies on animal behaviour.

He was born in Newark, New Jersey. Before working at the zoo, he worked as assistant curator of entomology at the American Museum of Natural History, where he began his personal collection of snakes from around the world. He was also a court reporter for the New York Times. In later years he became interested in the medical uses of snake venom and the behaviour of vampire bats. A general naturalist, field explorer, and popularist for reptiles, he wrote many books on reptiles, zoology, and natural science.