Noted California herpetologist and author of many popular reptile and amphibian field guides used by amateur and professional herpetologists alike, Robert C. Stebbins passed away yesterday at the age of 98.

Born on March 31, 1915, in Chico, California, the first of seven children, his work with reptiles and amphibans on the west coast has been described as "what the Oxford English Dictionary is to lexicographers" and includes such noted works as;

• Amphibians of Western North America (UC Press, 1951)
  
• Amphibians and Reptiles of Western North America (McGraw-Hill Press, 1954)
  
• Reptiles and Amphibians of the San Francisco Bay Region (UC Press, 1960)
  
• A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians (Houghton-Mifflin Co., 1966)
  
• Amphibians and Reptiles of California (UC Press, 1972)
  
• A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 2nd edition (Houghton-Mifflin Co., 1985)
  
• A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 3rd edition (Houghton-Mifflin Co., 2003)
  
• Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California, revised edition (w/ Samuel M. McGinnis; UC Press, 2012)

Incredibly, even though retired and well in his 90s, Robert Stebbins was still working, releasing an updated Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California just last year.

To read more about Robert Stebbins and his work, click here for more from the (bio)accumulation web site .