Kenneth R. Slater (22 June 1923 - 15 August 1999)Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Slater, K.", p. 245). Retrieved throug
GoogleBooks
18 June 2017. was an Australian

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

and

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and rept ...

.Mirtschin P (2006). "The pioneers of venom production for Australian antivenoms". ''Toxicon'' 48: 899-918. (Slater is in pages 911 and 912). Retrieve
online
18 June 2017. Slater's deliveries of

snake venom Snake venom is a highly toxic saliva containing zootoxins that facilitates in the immobilization and digestion of prey. This also provides defense against threats. Snake venom is injected by unique fangs during a bite, whereas some species are a ...

were instrumental in the development of

antivenom Antivenom, also known as antivenin, venom antiserum, and antivenom immunoglobulin, is a specific treatment for envenomation. It is composed of antibodies and used to treat certain venomous bites and stings. Antivenoms are recommended only if th ...

for several species.

Biography

Slater was educated as a civil engineer, but he was interested in

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

and

snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

s, as well. In his early years, he accompanied

Eric Worrell Eric Arthur Frederic Worrell (MBE), (27 October 1924 – 13 July 1987) was an Australian naturalist, herpetologist and writer whose collection of snake venom was essential in the production of snake anti-venom in Australia. History Eric was b ...

a few times, searching for live snakes in the Australian wild. In 1952, he took a job in the oil industry in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, to be able to spend more time in the wild. Shortly after, he was appointed acting animal ecologist by the Department of Agriculture of the PNG government. Just over a year after returning to Australia, Slater was appointed senior wildlife officer for

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

in 1960, followed by a position as acting wildlife biologist for the

Northern Territory Administration The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

in 1963. He also worked some time for Worrell's

Australian Reptile Park The Australian Reptile Park is located at Somersby on the Central Coast, New South Wales in Australia. It is about north of Sydney, and is just off the M1 Pacific Motorway. The Park has one of the largest reptile collections in Australia, w ...

, caring for, and milking, snakes for just under a year (1959-1960).

Snake venom

Slater was an experienced snake collector and snake milker. In his Papua New Guinea years, he supplied the

Commonwealth Serum Laboratories CSL Limited is an Australian multinational specialty biotechnology company that researches, develops, manufactures, and markets products to treat and prevent serious human medical conditions. CSL's product areas include blood plasma derivative ...

(CSL) with their first samples of Papuan taipan venom. He also provided all the

Papuan black snake The Papuan black snake (''Pseudechis papuanus'') is a venomous snake of the family Elapidae native to New Guinea. Reaching around 2 m (6 ft 8 in) in length, it is a predominantly black snake coloured grey underneath. Taxonomy The Papua ...

venom CSL used to develop and produce an antivenom for the species. This antivenom turned out to be effective for

bites Biting is a common zoological behavior involving the active, rapid closing of the jaw around an object. This behavior is found in toothed animals such as mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish, but can also exist in arthropods. Myocytic contrac ...

of the

king brown snake The king brown snake (''Pseudechis australis'') is a species of highly venomous snake of the family Elapidae, native to northern, western, and Central Australia. Despite its common name, it is a member of the genus ''Pseudechis'' (black snakes) ...

, as well. In 1955, CSL provided Slater, Worrell, and Ram Chandra with some of the first doses of Taipan antivenom, in recognition of the dangers involved in their work.

Taxonomy

Slater described '' Oxyuranus scutellatus canni'', commonly known as the coastal or Papuan taipan, in 1956. He named it after George Cann, longtime Snake Man of La Perouse.Slater K (1956).
"On the New Guinea taipan"
'. ''Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria'' 20: 201-205. (''Oxyuranus scutellatus canni'', new subspecies). Copy at kingsnake.com, retrieved 25 June 2017. Slater is commemorated in the scientific name of a species of Australian lizard, '' Liopholis slateri''.

Bibliography

*(1956). ''A Guide to the Snakes of Papua''. *(1968). ''A Guide to the Dangerous Snakes of Papua''. 22 pp. ASIN B0007JRJQ2.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slater, Ken 1923 births 1999 deaths Australian herpetologists 20th-century Australian zoologists Australian expatriates in Papua New Guinea Australian civil engineers