Australian Museum Arachnologist Michael Gray Remembered for Decades of Spider Research

Dr. Michael Gray, a former arachnologist at the Australian Museum, passed away in July 2023 at age 81. He joined the institution in 1968 and significantly expanded its arachnology collection, which became one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Gray modernized curation methods, conducted extensive field surveys across New South Wales and other regions, and contributed to public education through exhibitions and inquiries. His research included studies on cave spiders, funnel-web spiders, and collaborative work with a physician that debunked myths about white-tailed spider bites. He retired in 2009 after a career that included mentoring students and publishing numerous scientific papers.