author
John M. Legler
A lifelong zoologist and teacher, he became especially known for deep, field-based work on turtles and for helping build a fuller picture of Mexico’s freshwater and land species. His writing reflects decades of observation, careful science, and real affection for the natural world.
4 Audiobooks
A New Snake of the Genus Geophis From Chihuahua, Mexico
by John M. Legler
A New Tortoise, Genus Gopherus, From North-central Mexico
by John M. Legler
About the author
John M. Legler, also known as John Marshall Legler, was an American herpetologist, educator, and conservationist. He was born in Minneapolis in 1930 and died in Salt Lake City in 2014. Reliable sources describe him as a longtime member of the University of Utah faculty, where he became Professor Emeritus of Biology and taught human anatomy for many years.
His best-known work centers on turtles. The Turtles of Mexico: Land and Freshwater Forms, written with Richard C. Vogt and published by University of California Press, draws on more than fifty years of fieldwork and is described by the publisher as a comprehensive guide to the biology, ecology, evolution, and distribution of Mexico’s freshwater and terrestrial turtles.
Beyond his books and papers, Legler is remembered as a serious scientist with a strong commitment to teaching and conservation. A eulogy from the Turtle Survival Alliance notes both his influence in turtle biology and the respect he earned as a teacher, including the creation of the Legler Chair of Anatomy at the University of Utah in 2010.