Staff

Harold (Hal) Cogger - John Evans Memorial Fellow

BSc, University of Sydney, 1959
MSc, University of Sydney, 1961
PhD (Macquarie University, 1970
DSc (hon.), University of Sydney, 1997

Hal Cogger was curator of reptiles and amphibians at the Australian Museum from 1960-1975, before then becoming Deputy Director of the Museum in 1976. He retired in 1995, but maintains an active involvement in herpetology, including research, teaching and fieldwork. From 1997-2001 he was a Conjoint Professor in the School of Science and Mathematics at the University of Newcastle.

Fieldwork for Hal’s research has taken him to most parts of Australia, Japan, Indonesia, New Guinea and many islands in the western Pacific. He was a member of the Australian Biological Diversity Advisory Committee between 1991-1993 and Chair of the Australian Biological Resources Study Advisory Committee between 1992-1997. He has been a Commissioner of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature since 1976. Hal has long been involved in the conservation and sustainable management of threatened species and their habitats. He was Chairman of the Australasian Reptile and Amphibian Specialist Group of the Survival Service Commission of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) from 1991-2000 and senior author of the Reptile Action Plan for Australian Reptiles (1993).

Research

Hal has maintained, since childhood, a deep interest in the natural history, biology and ecology of the reptiles and frogs of the Australian-Pacific region. His current research interests are in the ecology of Australian arid zone species and the ecology and systematics of sea snakes (family Hydrophiidae) and sea kraits (family Laticaudidae). He has also been concerned with facilitating wider access to information on Australian reptiles and frogs through popular publications and, currently, through the preparation for CSIRO of interactive computer-based guides to the Australian herpetofauna.

Copyright © Australian Museum, 2002