Gary Allan Polis (born 1946 in California; died March 27, 2000) was an arachnologist noted for his study of scorpions.
He studied under Dr. Roger Farley at University of California, Riverside. He conducted a variety of experiments and did studies of Vaejovidae. He went on to teach at Vanderbilt University and wrote several books. His Biology of Scorpions has been referred to as the "scorpion Bible."[1]
He also became noted as a desert ecologist and advised the government on desert scorpions during the Gulf War. He died in a seastorm in the Sea of Cortez during an ecological expedition.[2]