About Jackson Shedd

Jackson Shedd is an author, scientific illustrator, independent researcher, herpetologist, avid birder, naturalist, and wildlife photographer. A native Californian, he holds a BA in Art Studio and MS in Biological Sciences. He has travelled extensively throughout California the past 3+ decades to see, photograph, and study its diverse native herpetofauna. Concern for habitat loss, native species declines, and the conservation of those species is also an enduring interest. He has worked in conservation most of his professional career, including five years with The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter. He is currently a Departmental Associate with the San Diego Natural History Museum Department of Herpetology and also has served as a Section Editor for the peer-reviewed journal Herpetological Review, published by the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, since 2009. In early 2025, a new and comprehensive field guide focusing on California Amphibians and Reptiles will be released by Princeton University Press. He coauthored this work, in addition to providing the illustrations and numerous photographs for it.