Lectures

Mark is available to lecture on tropical exploration and the societies of humans and other animals.

Conservation and the behavior of humans and animals don’t need to be presented as dry statistics and dismal news. Mark challenges himself to find new ways to tell stories about the little-known in the natural world. Through his scientific knowledge and unique, first-hand experiences, he introduces a Universe of special creatures in his smart, adrenaline-packed appearances. Here are three of his lecture topics:

• Mark looks at societies across the animal kingdom, and in humans right up to the present day.  How do those societies stay intact over the long haul, and what causes them to inevitably break down?  How, for example, do we humans accommodate strangers in our societies, when most species cannot?

• Why modern humans are more like certain ants than we are like our nearest relatives, the chimpanzees.  I describe why comparisons of ants and humans are valuable, and how ants are able to build societies more complex than we find for any other species in nature other than our own.

• Rainforests resemble a city, their architectural space providing accommodations for millions of residents. How are rainforests put together, and in what ways do they compare to other natural communities, from coral reefs to (believe it or not) the metropolises of bacteria thriving on our teeth.

And despite the seriousness of these topics Mark keeps his presentations fun, accurate, and fascinating. "You haven't lived until you've seen Dr. Moffett imitate the mating dance of a frog or praying mantis," proclaimed retired editor Mary G. Smith at one of his lectures for the National Geographic Society. Below is a spot-on portrait of Mark in action on stage by the master New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast.