Galen B. Rathbun (June 24, 1944 – April 13, 2019) was a behavioral ecologist, noted as the co-discover of new species of elephant shrew. In 1964, Rathbun received an Associate of Arts degree in zoology from College of San Mateo, in San Mateo, California. He received his B. A. degree from Humboldt State University (California) in 1966. After receiving his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Nairobi in Kenya in 1976, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. He is the author of over 130 technical publications.