Terryl Whitlatch is an internationally recognized creature designer for film, animation, and publishing. She began drawing at the age of three when she was first able to hold a crayon. She was also captivated by the many animals on her grandfather's ranch at that same time. For Terryl, these two things started a lifelong love of art and animals.

Scientifically and academically trained as a paleo-reconstructionist, she applied her extensive knowledge of anatomy and zoology to creature design, beginning in 1989 for Lucasfilm and Industrial Light and Magic, where she worked on many films, including acting as Principal Creature Designer for Star Wars: Episode One - the Phantom Menace. She has since worked on many other projects, most recently Disney's John Carter and Pixar's Brave. She is the author of several books, including The Wildlife of Star Wars, The Katurran Odyssey, and Animals Real and Imagined. In addition, she has produced several DVDs on Creature Design for the Gnomon School of Animation and Effects, and has taught creature design and animal anatomy for her alma mater, the Academy of Art University.