Frank Todd, a senior research fellow at the Hubbs Marine Research Center in San Diego, Calif., will give the annual John Tanner Lecture Tuesday, April 13, at 7 p.m. in the Tanner Auditorium of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum on the BYU campus.
He will discuss "Fascinating Creatures of the Far South." A reception will be held prior to the lecture at 6:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend both events, which are free.
Todd is being honored by BYU for his work in ornithology, the branch of zoology dealing with birds. Todd is known particularly for his studies of the sea birds of Antarctica and is considered one of the leading aviculturists, or those who raise wild birds in captivity.
He has worked extensively with Sea World's Penguin Encounter project in San Diego, initiated in 1983 at the request of the National Science Foundation to eliminate the need to take live penguins from the wild for research. Hundreds of penguins and other Antarctic birds have been captively bred as a result of the project.
Todd also raised and managed the only captive California condor in the world during his work with the Los Angeles Zoo from 1966 to 1972.
He established the avian collection of the Los Angeles Zoo and the waterfowl collection for Sea World into the largest of their kind in the country.
Todd serves as the executive director of EcoCepts International, which specializes in conceptual design of naturalistic ecosystem exhibits.
For more information, contact the Bean Museum at (801) 422-5051.
Writer: Thomas Grover
