Laurence M. Klauber (born 1883 in San Diego, California, died 1968), was an American herpetologist, and was considered to be the foremost authority on rattlesnakes.

Klauber didn't start out as a herpetologist. For much of his life he worked for the San Diego Gas & Electric Company. He worked his way up in the company from an electric sign salesman, to become president, then chairman and CEO of the whole company. He also held 7 U.S. patents for his electrical inventions.

In 1923 the newly opened San Diego Zoo asked Klauber to identify several species of snake they acquired. Even though reptiles were not much more than a hobby to him at the time, he took the job and eventually became Curator of Reptiles at the zoo. In that position, he dedicated the following 35 years of his life to the study of reptiles, and rattlesnakes in particular. The end result of that incredible amount of time and amassed data was his magnum opus, a two volume set of books entitled Rattlesnakes: Their Habits, Life Histories and Influence on Mankind, which he published in 1956. It is still considered to be the most complete and authoritative resource ever written on rattlesnakes.

In his research and field work, he is credited with identifying 53 new taxa of reptiles and amphibians (such as Arizona elegans candida, Chionactis palarostris, Pituophis catenifer pumilis, and Charina bottae umbratica) and has been recognized by his fellow herpetologists by having had 14 new taxa named after him (such as Crotalus lepidus klauberi, Ensatina eschscholtzii klauberi, Hypsiglena torquata klauberi, and Sphaerodactylus klauberi). He donated approximately 36,000 specimens to the San Diego Natural History Museum, and his personal library and notes were donated there upon his death.

References

• San Diego Natural History Museum: Laurence M. Klauber
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System