Biography
Raymond A. Mendez is an American entomologist, taxonomist, artist and exhibit designer. He spent 14 years at the American Museum of Natural History as a taxonomist in the department of entomology and later as senior principal artist in exhibits, contributing to halls including Ocean Life, Invertebrate and Reptile.
In 1980 he founded the firm Work As Play. He has worked as an insect wrangler and on special effects for films including Creepshow (1982), The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Joe's Apartment (1996). He appeared as himself, the mole-rat specialist, in the 1997 documentary Fast, Cheap & Out of Control. His later projects include museum and zoo design work, notably as an adviser to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
