Ray D. Burkett

Ray D. Burkett, listed by Project Gutenberg as born in 1938, is the author of Natural History of Cottonmouth Moccasin, Agkistrodon piscivorus (Reptilia). The work was originally published in 1966 through the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History and later made available as a Project Gutenberg ebook.

His best-known book is a focused scientific study of the cottonmouth, covering the snake's biology, behavior, habitat, reproduction, and ecological role in the southeastern United States. The writing is rooted in firsthand observation and specimen-based research, which gives it the steady, practical feel of classic field zoology.

Very little biographical information beyond his birth year and authorship was easy to confirm from reliable public sources during this search, so this overview centers on the work itself. Even so, Burkett's study stands out as a solid example of mid-20th-century natural history writing: specialized, observant, and still useful to readers curious about reptiles and the history of herpetology.