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34 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 ROBERTS

Jim Murphy as the defender of rattlesnakes in a 1989 Dallas Zoo conservation day skit.

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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 35PROFILE

James B. Murphy was born in Oak Park, Illinois. During his
youth, he developed an interest in reptiles and amphibians.

Throughout high school, he associated with herpetologists both
at zoos and museums in Chicago. His parents, who had never
been exposed to these creatures, had, as Jim puts it, “a consider-
able period of adjustment” while he filled his bedroom with his
collection of reptiles and amphibians.

After graduating from high school, Jim decided to major in
philosophy at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio with the
intention of becoming a college professor in that discipline.
According to Jim, he later came to his senses and embarked on
a zoo career. Since that time, Jim has not only become one of
the most respected curators in the zoological park field, but also
in the academic communities of herpetology and conservation.

Jim’s first zoo position was as a keeper in the herpetology
department at the Atlanta Zoo. He acquired this position shortly
after graduating with his B.S. in Philosophy in 1965. From
there, Jim moved west and accepted a keeper position in the
newly formed herpetology department at the Dallas Zoo, which
had just constructed a bird and reptile building. Later that year,
Jim was promoted to supervisor of the department. From this
point, Murphy started to become professionally entrenched in
the herpetological community. He became program chair for the
International Herpetological Society (IHS) that same year and
put together a group of speakers and developed a symposium.
Since then, Jim has chaired the IHS program two other times.
In 1998, he developed a symposium on the differences between
captive and wild snakes. Today, Jim is an Honorary Advisor of
the IHS.

Murphy’s career led to many professional affiliations,
including the Herpetologists’ League (HL), Society for the Study
of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR), British Herpetological
Society, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
(ASIH), Texas Herpetological Society, and the American Zoo
and Aquarium Association (AZA). He has served those organi-
zations in a variety of positions, including president, chairper-
son, editor, member of the board of directors, advisor, and pro-
fessional fellow. Jim also has been a member of numerous
foreign and regional societies.

During his career at the Dallas Zoo, Jim worked with myr-
iad people from many different disciplines. He invited experts
from other zoos, universities, and conservation organizations
from around the world to visit the Dallas Zoo’s collection. He
would lead these individuals through the collection, introduc-
ing his staff and allowing them to discuss their interests and
expertise with the visitors. These introductions were Jim’s way

P R O F I L E

Jim Murphy and Jack Joy in the field. 

Jim and his wife Judith near their home in Washington, D.C. in 1995.

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Been There, Done That: 
A Profile of James B. Murphy

David T. Roberts

Dallas Zoo

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of encouraging collaborative relationships with his staff and
other organizations.

Murphy has a wonderful philosophy for managing people.
He encourages his staff ’s interests, guides their learning, helps
forge relationships with individuals who share similar interests,
and allows his employees to “run with the ball.” In other words,
he provides his staff with the necessary tools they need to spark
their own interests and reach goals they set for themselves.

I came to know Murphy through my love of reptiles and
amphibians. As a youngster in the late 60s, I too had a strong
interest in capturing and keeping native reptiles and amphibians
— a common thread among herpetologists. I had a particularly
strong interest in rattlesnakes, and was given a copy of
Maintenance of Rattlesnakes in Captivity, by J.B. Murphy and
B.L. Armstrong. That summer of 1979 was the first time I had
ever heard of Jim Murphy. The publication was full of informa-
tion about more species of rattlesnakes than I knew existed. It
was also the first publication to spark my interest in learning the
formal taxonomic names of animals. The little book was full of
them, and of references to other publications revolving around
every aspect of captive rattlesnake husbandry. That book
changed my life. I knew then that having a career working with
reptiles and amphibians was possible.

In 1982, I literally packed up everything I owned and
moved to the Dallas area from upstate New York in an attempt
to garner a position at the Dallas Zoo. In April 1986, I was hired
as a keeper for the Dallas herpetology department. That was
more than 20 years ago, and today I still am deeply involved in
herpetological conservation and research.

Under Jim’s guidance, I was privileged to work with one of
the most dynamic groups of herpers for more than 15 years.
During Jim’s leadership as curator of the department, we had the
opportunity to work with some of the top researchers in our
field, including such academic experts as Carl Gans, Hobart
Smith, Joe Collins, Jonathan Campbell, and Harry Greene, as
well as peers from other zoos, such as Joe Laszlo, Bill Lamar,
Rick Hudson, Dave Barker, Bern Tryon, and Charlie Radcliffe,
just to name a few. The list is too extensive to account for every

36 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 ROBERTS

Jim in his office at the Dallas Zoo Herpetarium in 1990.

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Books like these, co-authored or co-edited by Murphy, served as valuable resources at a time when captive maintenance was considerably less sophis-
ticated than it has since become. By sparking interest and providing valuable references, both books effectively promoted the possibility that careers
in herpetological conservation and research were realistic goals of young enthusiasts.

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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 37PROFILE

influential person who came to discuss ideas, philosophies, and
techniques to tease out aspects of the biology, reproduction, and
behavior of reptiles and amphibians. Many of these people were
close friends of Murphy’s, and most took the opportunity to put
Jim on the spot with the kinds of embarrassing stories to which
those of us in herpetology invariably are burdened. Jim has a
wonderful sense of humor and would laugh aloud during these
memory-jogging sessions.

Through his career, Jim has served as a reviewer for many
scientific journals including Copeia, Herpetologica, Transactions of
Kansas Academy of Sciences, Journal of Herpetology, Southwestern
Naturalist, Texas Journal of Science, Science, Herpetological Review,
Hormones and Behavior, Acta Zoologica et Pathologica
Antverpiensia, and Zoo Biology. Murphy also served as editor for
his department. He would jokingly get out a large red marker
whenever one of us would hand him our latest manuscript for
his perusal. During his tenure, the department produced more
than 50 publications exclusive of Murphy, with his own number-
ing more than 110, including articles, book chapters, and books.
The department also received two Edward H. Bean Awards for
reproduction (in Bismarck Ringed Pythons and Bushmasters),
four significant achievement awards for reproduction (in Eastern
Diamondback Rattlesnakes, Tancitaran Rattlesnakes, Coahuilan
Box Turtles, and rattlesnake reproduction programs), 21 First
Captive Breeding awards, and a Silver and Gold Propagator’s
Certificate (for the American Milksnake) from the AZA. Jim also
was instrumental in coordinating the Dallas Zoo’s receipt of a
National Science Foundation grant totaling more than half a mil-
lion dollars to investigate improved visitor education techniques
concerning amphibians and reptiles in a zoological garden.

Murphy’s accomplishments in herpetology were acknowl-
edged by the University of Colorado-Boulder when they hon-
ored him with an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree in 1989.
This was a great moment in Jim’s life, and much of the recogni-
tion for this honor was organized by Murphy’s long-time col-
leagues David Chiszar and Hobart Smith.

After more than 30 years at the Dallas Zoo, Jim retired from
his position as curator and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1994.
He is currently a Smithsonian Research Associate in the
Department of Herpetology at the Smithsonian’s National
Zoological Park, and he stays involved with many organizations,
including the IUCN/SSC Declining Amphibian Populations Task
Force and the IUCN/SSC Captive Breeding Specialist Group,
and is the Section Editor of the “Zoo View” column in
Herpetological Review. His research interests are now centered on
developing quantitative methods for assessing the competence of
animals raised in captivity, zoo history, the behavior of pitvipers
and other reptiles, and the evolution of herpetological illustrations.

1987 Edward H. Bean Award Certificate for Captive Reproduction of
Bushmasters (front left: Donal Boyer; front right: Ardell Mitchell;
back, left to right: David Roberts, Clay Garrett, Steve Hammack, and
Jim Murphy).

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Under Murphy's guidance, the herpetology department at the Dallas
Zoo received Edward H. Bean Awards for reproduction in Bismark
Ringed Pythons (Bothrochilus boa; top) and Bushmasters (Lachesis
muta; middle) and significant achievement awards for reproduction in
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus; bottom),
among others.

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