Mireya Mayor
Dr. Mireya Mayor is a primatologist and TV host whose groundbreaking science—and tireless quest for Bigfoot—bring adventure and discovery to life.
Lemur Lover
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Her Wildness
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Innately Curious
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Lemur Lover • Her Wildness • Innately Curious •
More about Mireya
Dr. Mireya Mayor is a primatologist, explorer, and Emmy Award–nominated wildlife correspondent. Her explorations have led to several scientific discoveries, most notably her co-discovery in Madagascar of the world’s smallest primate, a tiny mouse lemur.
Mireya has hosted dozens of documentary programs, including Wild Nights with Mireya Mayor (NatGeo WILD), Expedition Africa (History Channel), La Cuba De Hoy (Nat Geo Mundo), and the current hit series Expedition Bigfoot (Discovery). She is the author of Pink Boots and a Machete (National Geographic, 2011) and the subject of an award-winning children’s book, Just Wild Enough. Mireya is also executive director of exploration and science communications at Florida International University, in Miami, where she is helping scientists effectively communicate complex topics.
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She’s been recognized as a National Science Foundation Fellow, Fulbright Scholar, Explorers Club Fellow, National Geographic Emerging Explorer, a Fulbright Global Changemaker, and one of Stony Brook University’s “40 under Forty,” in 2014. Early in her television career, she was the first female and first Latina field correspondent for Nat Geo Channel’s Explorer.
On stage she talks about her unconventional path that included a stint as a Miami Dolphins cheerleader while she pursued her undergraduate degree at the University of Miami. Originally registered as a pre-law student, an elective in anthropology sparked her passion and imagination and she shifted to a double major in Anthropology and Philosophy. Years later, after fieldwork and various television hosting jobs, she went on to earn her Ph.D. in Anthropology, from Stony Brook University.
Speaking Topics
Conservation
Science
Exploration
Nature
Watch Mireya in action
Presentations
Pink Boots and a Machete
Join world-renowned scientist and National Geographic explorer Mireya Mayor on a wild and inspiring romp through her unconventional path to success. From her early days as an NFL cheerleader to near-death experiences in the Congo and co-discovering the world’s smallest primate in Madagascar, the Discovery Channel’s Expedition Bigfoot host shares her incredible journey with us.
A Night of Bigfoot
Join Discovery Channel’s Expedition Bigfoot stars for a thrilling night of legend and wilderness! Show hosts: primatologist Dr. Mireya Mayor, Army veteran Russell Acord and Bigfood field researcher Cliff Barackman share highlights from six seasons searching North America for the elusive Bigfoot. Through captivating stories, you’ll discover why the creature fascinates us, even today.
"I'm an adventurer at heart with an insatiable curiosity for the natural world...I'm also an unashamedly self-confessed girlie-girl."
– Mireya Mayor