Dr. Dave Pyles (aka Rex David Pyles, aka Dave Pyles, Dr. Dave, Dave-O) is "Tarzan Guy", one of the more distinctive individuals who wears a full fledged Tarzan-like outfit. He can often be seen biking or running around the downtown and campus areas on weekends. Rumors that he is a post doc in plant biology are false; Sharon pointed out that he's an atmospheric science postdoc.
He used to live at one of the on campus co-ops, but now he spends much of his time at Elusis, a commune up in the Coast Range.
He is a postdoc in the Biomicrometeorology group, where he developed the Advanced Canopy-Atmosphere-Soil Algorithm (ACASA) to model the atmosphere near the Earth's surface.
The "fur", as Dave usually calls it, was originally an costume of Cutter from the comic Elfquest. He made a suit for Burning Man (2004?). Afterwards, he liked it so much he made a couple more and started wearing them as regular fashion. rickyspeak tried to talk him out of it.
Contrary to the costume, he's actually fairly shy.
Caveman Dave seen trying on some wings at the 2011 Whole Earth Festival. 
Caveman Dave speaking in The Domes documentary.
2007-06-02 17:44:10 I see him in the east Davis area around Lehigh a lot. He wears what looks like furry underwear with furry boots and rides a bike. —HeatherFlood
2007-06-02 17:59:23 This guy is really smart, nice and open. He hangs out around the Domes. He's a graduate student / postdoc, for sure, but I forget which major. He explained to me and Dan Masiel why the heliosheath around the solar system caused the voyager to unexpectedly change velocity. I'm sure he'll see this and comment :) —PhilipNeustrom
2007-06-02 19:45:11 I have seen this fellow at the Co-op near Rienda and at WEF this year. —JoseBleckman,
2007-08-09 04:29:08 his name is Dave Pyles, but some people call him "Caveman Dave." He's an atmospheric science postdoc. —SharonZimmerman
2007-09-18 21:03:50 weird seeing 'myself' up on this page...one can consider all this fur a 4-D art project. corregna: Eleusis is not a commune, but a realm (communes don't exist). Presently the only large animal inhabitants at Eleusis are bears, mountain lions, lynx, and coyote). also: there is underwear folks, and it's not on the outside. heliosheath? did I really say that? not 'heliopause'?
-RDPyles
ps: usually people who yell 'caveman!' are too far away to know the difference, or if they are close and still do it they are also likely to be found near the Delta of Venus...otherwise...ugetit.
pps: i have no relation to Geico, inc., though it is possible that both of us have enhanced each others' cross-recognition, particularly when traveling through airports.
ppps: if i did this for the money, i would be a billionaire. this statement begs its own negation. —rdpyles
2008-01-01 03:07:12 Do you wear that to work, or just on the weekends? :) Just wondering. —HeatherBeck
2008-01-08 16:03:23 In answer to your question Heather, yes, he does wear that to work occasionally. I work with him. Last quarter he introduced himself to a class I was TAing while wearing the fur. It was the highlight of my quarter. He once traveled by air from Bolder to Sacramento in the fur. He even changed airplanes somewhere. I know him well enough to be able to say that the fur is only an external manifestation of a man who is truly trying to live a life unaffected by the more mundane pressures that society places on us. We should salute him as he cruises around town on his business, or at least give him a thumbs up or an appreciative smile. —JohnKochendorfer
2008-02-26 09:36:08 Maybe I just have the weirdest crush on Dave <3 —JJBaker
2008-08-28 10:02:42 Speaking with him on occasion, he is damn brilliant. —DavidPoole
2009-09-21 22:02:42 Rex is one of my dearest friends. Not only is Dave-man a hyper-intelligent Biomicrometeorologist, but he is also a talented dancer and painter. His understanding of the complexities within our surroundings transcends into his art or perhaps it is his art that fuels his understanding of nature... either way, he loves cats; furry, fuzzy, floppy, cozy, cuddly, kitties. RDP, if anyone, could survive an apocalypse. As of recent, you might find Mr. Dave foraging in order to find local consumable vegetation so that people will be able to survive an apocalypse. —NCHogan
2010-11-03 17:14:21 Dave has been my friend for 12 years now. I've lived with him in some manner for 8 years of that. That being said I thought I should add something to this page. My prior edits seem to have disappeared, but at least the picture I posted is still here. Yay.
Rex David Pyles, aka Dave Pyles, Dr. Dave, Dave-O, etc. really is a Doctor in Atmospheric Science from here at UC Davis. He's currently a post doc in the Atmospheric Science Department, though in a partially unofficial way.
The "fur", as Dave usually calls it, was originally an costume of Cutter from the comic Elfquest (Google it). He made a suit for Burning Man (2004, I think). Afterwards, he liked it so much he made a couple more and started wearing them as regular fashion. I tried to talk him out of it.
Contrary to the costume, he's actually fairly shy and will start to ramble incoherently because of this. Once he gets to know you he'll settle down.
I hope this clears things up to people have been wanting more info. —rickyspeak
2011-02-07 02:20:56 I met Dave face to face for the first time today. He was wearing a regular sweatshirt paired with a women's skirt, and he was talking about Plutonium while drinking a handle of Jaagermeister. Good times. —EliseKane
2011-09-13 10:09:50 Dave is one of the sweetest, most caring, most intelligent people you will ever meet, and I feel so so so lucky to call him one of my best friends. He is so brilliant and so funny and THE CUTEST DANCER. Speak to him with your heart and he will protect you through his power of love wave armpit farts. —SharmiBasu
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