author
Charles Taylor Vorhies
1879–1949
A field naturalist and early wildlife writer, this Arizona biologist turned close observation into clear, practical prose. He is best remembered for work on desert animals and for helping document the life of the kangaroo rat in the American Southwest.
1 Audiobook
Life History of the Kangaroo Rat
by Charles Taylor Vorhies, Walter P. (Walter Penn) Taylor
About the author
Charles Taylor Vorhies was an American biologist, naturalist, and author whose work was closely tied to Arizona and the University of Arizona. Sources found during this search describe him as an important early expert on the state's nongame wildlife, with interests that ranged across mammals, birds, reptiles, and desert ecology.
His best-known book is Life History of the Kangaroo Rat, written with Walter P. Taylor and later made available through Project Gutenberg. He also wrote other scientific and popular pieces on Southwestern wildlife, including material on poisonous desert animals, showing a gift for explaining field observations in a direct, accessible way.
Vorhies lived from 1879 to 1949. The available sources emphasize both his research work and his role as a public-facing naturalist who helped more people understand the animals of the Southwest.