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Mark Moffett | High Drama in Hidden Worlds
February 1, 2008 | 10:30 AM | Grosvenor Auditorium

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Mark Moffett.

Photograph by Melissa W. Wells

Nicknamed “Dr. Bugs,” Mark Moffett finds obscure and amazing creatures where most people don’t dare look—high in forest canopies, deep in hidden caves, and camouflaged in decaying leaf litter. As an ecologist and photographer, Moffett focuses on the hidden, fascinating world of small creatures and the ecosystems of which they are a part. Whether it’s a romantically inclined Sri Lankan spider or dancing Brazilian frogs; alien-looking mantids or hundred-foot-wide swarms of bloodthirsty army ants in Ghana, Moffett finds them, studies them with great passion, and captures them in stunning, award-winning photographs.

Adventure and brushes with danger are part of the job for Moffett. He has accidentally sat on the world’s deadliest snake, eaten grubs, scorpions, and spiders, and ascended a tree to escape bull elephants. For him such risks are worth it, as part of his mission to find stories that make people fall in love with the unexpected: insects, frogs, and other of nature’s small wonders. Moffett has discovered new species of insects, and he was awarded the highest honor for exploration—the Lowell Thomas Medal from the Explorers Club. His award-winning photography and writing has appeared in over two dozen National Geographic articles as well as several books.

Prepare yourself for a fascinating and entertaining presentation by a great storyteller, whose passion for his work and stunning photographs bring us remarkably close to these creatures, which Moffett’s teacher E. O. Wilson refers to as “the little things that run the world.”

Grades: 2-6

Curriculum Connections: Biology, Environmental Science, Life Sciences, Photography

Educator Resources

Magazine Article | Lone Huntress: The Bulldog Ant

Magazine Article | Army Ants: Inside the Ranks

Magazine Article | Mantids: Armed and Dangerous (Excerpt)

Magazine Article | Big Bite (Excerpt)

Magazine Article | Fantastic Ants (Excerpt)

Magazine Article | The Rain Forest in Rio's Backyard (excerpt)

Lesson Plan | The Frog Squad: Atrazine and Frog Populations

Lesson Plan | Sound the Alarm: Can Frogs Really Tell Us What's Wrong?

Website | National Wildlife Federation: Frogwatch USA

Website | AntWeb

News | Frozen Frog May Give Docs Jump on Human Transplants

News | Poison Toads Leap Across Australia