Mireya Mayor
Mireya Mayor (born 1973) is an American scientist, explorer, inspirational speaker, anthropologist, television star, and wildlife correspondent for the National Geographic. Mayor has been referred to as the "female Indiana Jones."[1][2][3]
Background
Mayor was born to a Cuban mother and a Spanish father. She was raised by her mother, grandmother, and aunt after her father left the family.[4]
Education
Mayor studied prelaw at the University of Miami where she obtained her bachelor's degree in anthropology and philosophy.[5] During this time she was a cheerleader for the NFL Miami Dolphins.[1] Mayor was a Fulbright Scholar[6] before earning a PhD in anthropology from Stony Brook University in New York.[2]
Research career
Fieldwork
Mayor was one of the explorers on the show Expedition Africa. She currently is a wildlife correspondent for the National Geographic Channel.[6] Her work has provided her with extensive field experience studying primates, tarantulas, and other wild animals.[1] She has been Emmy-nominated for her work with National Geographic.[5] Mayor dedicates her life to studying rare primates throughout the world. She is currently performing studies on the highly endangered lemur.[3]
Co-discovery of a new species of lemur in Madagascar
Mireya discovered a new species of lemur while on one of her expeditions in Madagascar. She works very closely with the prime minister of Madagascar to establish a national park to protect this endangered species.[3]
Television
Expedition Africa
Mireya Mayor's first major television appearance was in 2009 when the show Expedition Africa was released on History Channel. Other cast mates included Benedict Allen, Kevin Sites, and Pasquale Scatturo. Mayor along with her other cast mates had one month to trek 970 miles into the heart of Tanzania. The cast faced tough conditions as they went through deserts, monsoons, and other harsh elements. The 8 episode season started airing on May 31, 2009, and finished airing on July 12, 2009.
Expedition Bigfoot
In May 2019, Mayor started being filmed for a new show named "Expedition Bigfoot". The premise of the show was five researchers going out into a remote location in Oregon, trying to prove that bigfoot exists. The location was carefully selected as that is where Bryce Johnson, a co-star, thought they would have the best chance at having a bigfoot encounter. Mayor was one of the five people on the three week long expedition, where they got some compelling evidence that bigfoot may have been in their target area. In December 2019, the 8 episode season started airing on Travel Channel. Mayor starred in the show along with Bryce Johnson, Russell Accord, and Ronny Le Blanc (who replaced other cast member Ryan Golembeske after he left in the first episode). The final episode aired on January 26, 2020. The show has yet to be renewed for a second season.
Publications
She is the author of Pink Boots and a Machete: My Journey From NFL Cheerleader to National Geographic Explorer.[1]
References
- Adventures of the 'female Indiana Jones' - CNN.com
- Animals - Animal Pictures - Wild Animal Facts - Nat Geo Wild - National Geographic
- Mireya Mayor, Primatologist/Conservationist Information, Facts, News, Photos - National Geographic
- Harnett, Cindy E. (2018-11-08). "African wildlife discovery helped launch career of Mireya Mayor". Times Colonist. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
- Brazil, Ben (2018-09-20). "'Female Indiana Jones' to launch 2019 National Geographic Live speaker series at Barclay". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
- National Geographic Events - Mireya Mayor