Terry Vandeventer

Terry Vandeventer's interest in wildlife began at the age of four with the frogs and harmless gartersnakes that abounded near his childhood home of Mattoon, Illinois.

In 1976, Terry left his job at Southern Illinois University and moved to Mississippi. Formerly in charge of the reptile department at the Jackson Zoo, he serves as herpetology field associate at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. and as a public speaker. Terry is one of the most widely recognized wildlife personalities in Mississippi and is acknowledged by his academic colleagues as the state's authority on Mississippi snakes. In 2006, his years of efforts to teach the public about our native snakes were recognized by the Mississippi Wildlife Federation with the award of "Conservation Educator of the Year.

The book Mississippi Snakes: Their Identification, Natural History, and Influence on the Culture of the Magnolia State is co-authored by Terry L. Vandeventer and Dr. Robert A. Young.

Terry and his wife Ginger live on their snake-friendly property near Terry, Mississippi.