Grace Olive Wiley

Grace Olive Wiley (February 18, 1883 – July 20, 1948) was an American herpetologist best known for her work with venomous snakes. She died of a snakebite she received while posing for a photographer at the age of 65.

Background Wiley originally worked as an entomologist at the University of Kansas, but during her mid-thirties she began collecting and observing rattlesnakes while doing field work in the Southwestern United States. Within a few years she became the first person to successfully breed rattlesnakes in captivity. In 1923, she was named a curator at the Minneapolis Public Library which had an extensive collection of live reptiles and amphibians in its now-defunct natural history museum.

Mission, methods, and controversy Wiley brought much attention while working in Minneapolis, even appearing in national publications like Time and Life. At the time, it was very unusual for a woman to be a curator of reptiles, and Wiley earned a reputation as a "woman without fear." Taking advantage of her fame, Wiley strove to change the public's negative perception of snakes, arguing, “The fear of snakes is cultivated. We are not born with it. Children love snakes as naturally as they love dogs and cats. Don’t be afraid of a reptile’s tongue. The only animal that can hurt you with its tongue is a human.” She also left snakes' cages open for long periods of time and permitted venomous species to crawl throughout her workspace. Unfortunately, her casual snake-handling methods did not endear her to zoo staff members there, either, and after she had allowed 19 snakes to escape from their cages in 1935, she was fired by zoo director Robert Bean.

California years After parting ways with Brookfield Zoo, Wiley moved to California, where she became a snake trainer and reptile consultant for Hollywood films such as Moon Over Burma, The Jungle Book, and the Tarzan series. She also operated a reptile zoo in Cypress, California, where she charged 25 cents for visitors to see her large, personal collection. Although family and friends tried to preserve her collection, it was ultimately auctioned off, and the snake that killed Wiley was subsequently displayed at an Arizona roadside attraction.

Legacy In 1948, she died in Long Beach, California. Wiley described Rheumatobates hungerfordi, a species of water strider, and is commemorated in the names of the Virgin Islands crested anole (Anolis cristatellus wileyae) and the insect Cenocorixa wileyae, a water boatman. In 2006, the city of Long Beach opened Grace Park, named after Wiley.

Publications Life History Notes on Two Species of Saldidae (Hemiptera) Found in Kansas. The Kansas University Science Bulletin. October 1922. Vol XIV. No 9. pp 301–311. A new species of Rheumatobates from Texas (Heteroptera, Gerridae). The Canadian Entomologist. September 1923. Vol 55. No 9. pp 202–205. Surprising new facts about snakes learned by making pets of Rattlers The Milwaukee Sentinel September 22, 1929