Alpheus Hyatt Verrill (July 23, 1871 – November 14, 1954) was an American zoologist, explorer, inventor, illustrator and author. He was the son of Addison Emery Verrill, the first professor of zoology at Yale University. He wrote many books on natural history and science fiction. He wrote on a variety of topics, including natural history, travel, radio, and whaling. He participated in a number of archaeological expeditions to the West Indies, South and Central America. He traveled extensively in the West Indies and throughout the Americas, North, Central and South America. Theodore Roosevelt stated, “It was my friend Verrill who really put the West Indies on the map.” His writings include many science fiction works, including twenty-six published in Amazing Stories magazines. After his death, P. Schuyler Miller noted that Verrill "was one of the most prolific and successful writers of our time."