What do you do all day at work?
During the winter, I mostly work on report writing and administrative work. During the summer, I am usually out doing fieldwork in streams in Northern Illinois.

Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois near Midway airport.

What is your favorite rainforest animal? Why?
While I really consider myself an “expert” in fishes and aquatic invertebrates, my favorite rainforest animal is the margay cat. It is about twice the size of a house cat, is covered with leopard –like spots, and though it looks adorable, it is quite ferocious for its size.

Why do you like working at the Shedd?
I like working at the Shedd because the people I work with are all excellent. Also working around the exhibits filled with living animals and plants is very relaxing, and you can observe and learn something new almost every day.
What inspired you to become involved in the rainforest?
Everything in the rainforest seems bigger than life! The trees are gigantic and the forest is extremely lush. There is more of everything in the rainforest, like birds, fish and insects. Everything there seems more colorful, or larger in size than in non-rainforest areas.

What did you want to be when you were little?
I always thought being a doctor, teacher, or fireman would be neat, but I finally settled on being a biologist later on.

What is the coolest fact you know about the rainforest?
There are more species of freshwater stingrays in the Amazon than anywhere else on Earth. The freshwater stingrays are one of the most feared animals in the Amazon, because they are common, and they sting people frequently. The venomous spine in the tail produces a painful wound that can be fatal.

What do you do in your free time?
All my free time is spent with my two 14-year-old kids, but sometimes I can talk them into going for a walk in the forest preserve with me.

What is the best thing about your job?
The best part of my job is being able to survey for fish and invertebrates in Illinois to see how good t or bad the stream health is.

What classes in college did you take to prepare yourself for your job?
Any good college biology curriculum would be fine to get started. You would take three or four core courses, and genetics and evolutionary biology are usually required too. You can pick up electives in invertebrate biology, physiology, anatomy, and molecular biology as you wish. If you live in a coastal state (even around the Great Lakes), you can usually find 3-4 courses in aquatic biology or marine biology too.

I have worked at the Shedd Aquarium since December of 2000. However, I began my career at Shedd as an interpretation volunteer in January of 2000 and slowly worked my way up.

What do you do all day at work?

A large part of my current responsibilities include developing fun, engaging educational programs for all of our guests, including school groups. Most of these programs take place in our exhibit spaces. The goal behind these programs is to connect our guests with our animals and their habitats. Another part of my daily responsibilities is to facilitate joint programming with other divisions in the education department. For example, this would allow students to take a class on sharks and then expand upon their newly acquired knowledge by participating in our Making Sense of Sharks program in the aquarium's exhibits. By the end of this, students would become shark experts!!!

Where did you grow up?

I grew up on the Southwest side of Chicago and have lived here ever since.

What is your favorite rainforest animal? Why?

My favorite rainforest animal would have to be the very elusive pink river dolphin. During my expedition to the Amazon in 2003, my team actually spotted a couple of these dolphins surfacing for air in a flood plain lake at the break of dawn. They were so beautiful!!!! The warm orange glow from the rising sun reflected beautifully off their pink bodies.

Why do you like working at the Shedd?

The thing I like best about working at the Shedd is our guests. Every year, guests from all around Chicago, all around our country, and all around the world walk through our doors. Each guest offers a unique opportunity to teach something fun to someone everyday. The opportunity to open up their minds and ignite that sparkle in their eyes when they learn something new is something I enjoy most about being an educator.

What inspired you to become involved in the rainforest?

The rainforest has always fascinated me, even before I started working at Shedd. I have always been interested in the connections between the people, plants and animals of the rainforest. Everything is dependent on one another for survival. I have a background in horticulture so the diversity of plants in the rainforest has also piqued my interest.

What did you want to be when you were little?

When I was little I could remember wanting to be a pitcher for the Chicago Whitesox. I have always wanted to play on the emerald green grass. I was fascinated by how well maintained the playing field was. I guess you could say I became interested in horticulture and plants at a very young age.

What is the coolest fact you know about the rainforest?

The coolest thing about the rainforest is that there is life everywhere! From the smallest puddle to the largest leaf, rainforest organisms make their homes in the weirdest places. Did you know that a whole community of algae, moths and beetles make their home in the sloth's fur?

What do you do in your free time?

In my free time I love to cook, especially Mexican, South American and Cuban foods. I also love to ride my bike along the lake in the summertime.

What is the best thing about your job?

The best thing about my job is getting the opportunity to teach something to someone everyday. What other job can someone say they look for every possible excuse to talk about the animals?

What classes in college did you take to prepare yourself for your job?

I have taken many science classes, including plant biology, chemistry, and plant identification. I also took classes such as accounting and history, classes that didn't necessarily relate to what I wanted to do later in life. This is important in becoming a well rounded person. Each person at Shedd has something different and unique to offer. That's what makes Shedd Aquarium a great place to work and learn!

Air breathing catfish, and other types of air breathing fish a much more common than people
think. Many times fish that live in warm or tropical waters will adapt to going to the surface
to get a gulp of air to suppliment the intake by the gills in the water. As water gets warmer
the amount of oxygen it can hold decreases, and just like you, fish need oxygen to live. In
some cases there is not enough oxygen in the water to support the fish so they have to go up
to the surface to get some air. Now ther are some fish that take this to an extreme, the walking
catfish which can actually leave the water for short periods of time to try and find a better body of
water. These fish have a very thick mucus that covers them during this time which helps to store some
oxygen, walking catfish do not have lungs so they aren't really able to breath air, so if this mucus dries
up they will die. Now the fish thathas taken it to the greatest extreme are the lungfish.
These animals actually have a lung-like organ that they can take air into. It's pretty much just
a sac with a lot of blood vessels around it that capture and distribute oxygen. The Australian and
African species use the lung when they are dormant in mud puddles to get them thru the dry season, but the
South American species has gone one better and it's gills regress as it ages so it now has to breath air all
of the time. Now, even though they can breath air they are still dependent on water to live and on
a phisiological level, have more in common at this point with fish than amphibians. Sorry for the long
winded answer.

Where does a silver arawana fish live? Submitted by Dunne Elementary

The Silver Arawana is found in South America, in the Amazon River basin, Rupununi and Oyapock Rivers.

This is something i dont see everyday but, How can a catfish breath air?
Would it dry up and die? Submitted by Amboy

I think the species you're thinking about is the walking catfish, which can walk for
short distances over wet ground to find new pools of water to live in. The walking catfish
isn't truely an air breather, it has a very thick mucus that covers its body that
helps with the transfer of gases both thru the gills and thru the animals skin. If
the mucus over the fish were to dry up though, it would indeed suffocate.

Do you take care of some of the animals? Submitted by Hibbard School

Yes, I do take care of the animals in the Amazon Rising exhibit. The exhibit includes many kinds of fish, including Red Bellied Piranha who really are quite docile, despite what you may have heard about them, birds, turtles, frogs, two snakes, the Emerald Tree Boa and Green Anaconda, two Callimico monkeys, and my favorite invertebrates including, but not limited to, Goliath Bird Eating Tarantulas who rarely eat birds, and South American Bullet Ants.

Do you ever get to go to the rainforest? Submitted by Alexander Junior High

As of now I have never gotten to go to the rainforest.(

Why did you want to become an expert on the rainforest? Submitted by Washington
Elementary

My passion began at a young age when I fell in love with the small tetras and catfish that live in the Amazon River, in particular the corydoras and sucker mouth catfish as well as the small characins (small tetras like Neons and Cardinals). As I grew I tried other things, frogs and snake mostly, but I always gravitated back to the little tetras and catfish. I decided to try and make a career of it and took many ichthyology and ethology courses in college worked in the fish department of a small pet shop for six years and then at a state fish hatchery for a few months before coming to the Shedd. I was very fortunate to get hired in the Amazon Rising exhibit which housed the animals I had always loved and it was here that my passion grew to include the insects found in the forest as well as the fish and the relationships these animals have with others and the environment in the rainforest. So I guess it was less of a desire to become an expert and more of result of following my passion for these animals.

We read that the animals are harder to see when the river has lots of
silt in it. Does this hurt the fish? Where do they go if there is too
much silt?

Whether or not a high level of silt will be harmful to fish depends on if the fish are used to it or not. Some areas of the river have always had high silt content just because of the environment that surrounds the river. If the fish have evolved in an area that naturally has high silt content then they will be adapted to the high turbidity and it will not be a problem. When an area of a river experiences raised levels of silt, usually due to run off often a result of heavy logging of an area, this could cause problems for the animals in the system. The animals may not be well adapted to finding food in waters that are now much more turbid, and a lot of the food some of the fish eat are small crustaceans that live in the substrate of the rivers. The more sediment that enters the system the more clogged with tiny particles the substrates will become and may force many of these invertebrates to seek new homes and the fish may not have a very high abundance of food and will either have to try to find a new habitat up or down stream, or they may not survive. Unfortunately some fish are very specialized and adapted to a particular water type, and may not be able to adapt to water with a higher turbidity, and may not be able to adapt to different areas in a river.

What kind of fish do they have at the Shedd Aquarium? Do you have piranhas?
What do they feed them?

We have more types of fish than I could possibly go thru in our Amazon River exhibit here at the Shedd, some of the groups of fish we have include, characins, catfish, sucker mouth catfish, pacu, arrowana, arapaima, lungfish, cichlids, electric eels, knife fish, algae eaters, tetras, pencilfish, freshwater sting rays, even the awe inspiring Zebra Plecostomus and yes we have Red Bellied and Black Piranha. The Piranha get a few different types of foods including prepared gel diets, smelt, and students that bang on the glass… Ok, they won’t let us feed the last item, and in all honesty the piranha would probably be afraid of them if we did. Piranha are a much over dramatized and misunderstood fish. They are not the bloodthirsty beast that Hollywood would have us believe that they are, in actuality they much prefer eating dead animals than chasing down live ones, and most of the aggression we see with ours is between piranha and other piranha. We even have divers go in with them and clean the exhibits. Now, this is not to say that they should not be treated with respect, as they are capable of doing massive amounts of damage with their jaws, but usually fits like these are sparked by starving fish. We keep ours well fed which greatly reduces the likelihood of aggression.

Do the fish eat spiders?

Indeed fish do eat spiders. I think you will find that fish, in general, do not have discriminating pallets. In short, if something can fit into a fish’s mouth, or the fish thinks it can, it will probably try to eat it. We actually feed crickets to our fish at the aquarium, and small spiders would make a delightful treat to a lot of the fish here.

What is the water (in the river) like? What color is it? Can you see the bottom?
Can you see fish from the boat?
Is the river water dirty? Can you drink it?

All right, these questions are all very similar, so I’m going to field them at the same time. The water in the river is very wet, it greatly impedes the dryness of most things that enter it; towels are recommended to counteract the dampening forces of the river. I jest. The water clarity, color, and appearance vary greatly depending on where you are on the river. The Amazon River is huge, it traverses the width of South America so it changes it’s characteristic in different areas. There are three major delineations of water in the Amazon River, clear water, white water, and black water. Clear water is water that is relatively free of particles in the water coulomb that would cloud it up. White water isn’t white; it’s more of a milky brown color due to the high levels of particulate matter in the water coulomb. You won’t be able to see very far into the water. Black water isn’t black, it looks like tea, and the color is due to the large amounts of tannin that is leached into the water system from the roots of trees. This makes the water very soft and acidic as well. Now there are water types everything between these three as well, these are just the prevalent water types that much of the river can be divided into. Whether or not you can see the bottom depends upon the depth, lighting, and turbidity of the water. Whether or not fish are viewable depends on turbidity and the kind of fish in the area. You can have very clear water and if the fish are cryptic you may not see them even if there are hundred of them, also, you could be looking at water that is murky as you can imagine, but if there are large fish like an Arawana or Arapaima cruising around close to the surface, you would probably see them. As far as the river being dirty, or having drinkable water, yes, the water is drinkable; the native people drink it with no problems. Now, if you were going to visit the Amazon you would probably want to treat the water with iodine to kill bacteria as your digestive systems will not be accustomed to the bacteria in the water there and the water may make you quite ill where it would not bother someone that is used to it. There are probably parts of the river that have pollutants in it as well and you may not want to drink the water in these areas. You’d have to check and see.

Does illegal logging hurt the river and the animals that live in it?

Illegal logging certainly does impact the river systems. When trees are cut down close to a river, it can change the environment around the area it was cut down. What once may have had excellent shade and good cover during the day may now be wide open under bright sun. Areas that were calm may be very windy and turbid without the trees around to break the wind. Even trees cut down miles away from the river can impact it. The root systems of trees help to keep soil in place on the ground, if the trees are cut down the soil will now run off in rain showers and may end up in the river. This can cause siltation, a process by which tiny silt particles enter a water system and start to clog up the substrate and make the water much more turbid.

What kind of plants grow under the water?

There are a lot of different kinds of plants that live under water. Plants in the genus Echinodorus are quite common in the Amazon River (sword plants for those in the aquarium hobby), which have large broad leaves, and there are plants that look like grassy fields underwater, some plants like hyacinth float on the water and live in large colonies creating a floating meadow ecosystem, and lets not forget an abundance of algae. The plants that live under water in a rainforest are often as specialized to the environment as the terrestrial variety. Some have adapted to intense light, while others thrive in dim setting, others prefer rapid flowing waters, and still some like it stagnant. Fish and aquatic invertebrates also take advantage of the aquatic foliage using it for cover to avoid predators; they may lay eggs on the leaves of the plants, and even use the plants as a source of food. The plants have come up with one or two strategies of defense to ward of hungry fish including thick tough leaves, foul taste in the leaves, and even just growing so fast that it doesn’t matter if the fish eat them.

What happens when a fish or river dolphin is killed in the river?

If dolphins, fish, or most any animal in the river dies it will most likely become food for the other animals. Many of the fish in the river systems are purely scavengers, one of the most well known scavengers are Piranha. Even though they have a very bad, and mostly undeserved reputation as being vicious fish, they would much prefer to find a free lunch than have to work for it. You can be assured that no animal goes to waste when it dies, the other animals will use it to sustain themselves.

Are they any fish who light up in the Amazon?

I am not aware of any bioluminescent fish in the Amazon River. A lot of people think that Cardinal Tetras, Paracheirodon axelrodi, and Neon Tetras, Paracheirodon innesi, would glow because of the vibrant blue and red coloration of the fish, but in actuality, the colors are caused both by pigmentation in the animals skin, and light refraction from the scales. Now, this does not mean that there are not bioluminescent fish in the Amazon, new fish are being discovered all the time and some of the trenches in the river can be over 150 feet deep!

What kinds of animals do you see when you're on the boat?

Well, I've never had the opportunity to go and spend time in the rainforest areas, but from what I've heard the animals are quite cryptic and you may not see as many as you would think from the boats. You may see caiman floating about in the water, birds fluttering thru the sky, and of course, copious amounts of insects will be buzzing about at any given time. Generally the water in the rainforest rivers is very murky so you probably can't see very far into it. I don't think it will be until you get out and really start looking for the animals that you will see a lot. Remember, the areas around a large river are very open, animals that venture out into them are no longer under cover and are at risk themselves.

Why do people sell endangered animals as pets?

The biggest reason that people sell endangered animals as pets is for the money. Rare animals will just about always fetch a higher price than common animals. It is important to remember that the collection and sale of animals is how a lot of people make their livelihood. We don't like to see the illegal sale of animals that are having a hard time in the wild, but some people have relied on the sale of some of these animals to support their families for generations, then one day, it's illegal to do it. That would be like someone saying it's no longer legal to display animals in a public aquarium, I'd be out of a job, and if there was not feasible alternative source of income, I might be tempted to display the animals even though it's against the law. One must also remember that it is generally people in other countries, the U.S. being a large source, whom are paying the big bucks to get these animals and keeping the trade alive.

What kinds of fish do people eat in the rainforest? What does it taste like?

I have never been to the Rainforest myself, so I don't have a first hand account, but from what has been relayed to me from friends who have had the opportunity people eat a wide array of fish in the rainforests. Peacock bass, Pacu are supposed to be a favorite from the sweet flavor in the meat as they eat primarily fruit, Arapima, Piranha, large catfish, and even sucker mouth catfish are eaten. Pretty much anything that is catchable and large enough to eat will be consumed, stingrays included. Having never the pleasure, I don't know what the fish tastes like.

How do people catch fish in the rainforest?

There are many ways of catching fish in the rainforest; I believe various ways of netting are going to be the most prevalent. These involve setting nets out of various constructions, in various places, and at various depths of the rivers. The nets are designed to "funnel" the fish into capture nets that they won't be able to swim out of. The construction and placement of the nets will vary depending upon what kind of fish is being targeted to catch. A popular way of catching smaller fish is to use sane nets. This process uses a couple or a few people and a large net with several handles on it. The people wade out into the river where large schools of small fish are and kind of walk towards them and surround the fish with then sane and pull them up. There are also more traditional fishing methods such as spear fishing, and I'm sure the rod and reel is used, as some of the larger fish are good for sport.

I actually did get a once in lifetime opportunity to visit the Amazon rainforest! On May 19 2003, I traveled 2000 miles over 18 days down the mighty Amazon river. My other expedition team members included a Chicago public school teacher and a staff person from the Chicago Teacher's Center. We started in Iquitos, Peru and ended our journey in Belem, Brazil. Much like the current Project Peru, everyday we sent back video, pictures, and journal reports so the students in Chicago could follow in our footsteps. From the people we met to the animals and plants, it was an amazing experience that I will never forget. The Amazon is a place unlike any other on earth. I like to refer to it as a place where the "river meets the trees." When we were there it was the high water season. The floodwaters had reached their peek and were starting to recede. The water was still very high. In some places we were able to squeeze our zodiac, which is like a small inflatable raft with a motor on the back, in between the treetops. Yes we were able to touch the treetops! That's how much water there was. If you ever have an opportunity to visit the Amazon rainforest, I highly encourage you to do so. Just bring allot of sunscreen, raingear, and mosquito repellant.

Do the fish eat spiders?

There are a number of fish species in the Amazon that feed on insects. One in particular is the arawana. They don’t nickname it the “water monkey” for nothing. This fish has an upward pointing mouth and a long slender body. This helps it jump out of the water up to 3 ft to snatch insects and spiders that may be hanging from a branch over the water. You can tell allot about a fish by just looking at its mouth. Depending on whether the mouth is pointing upward, downward or directly in front, an observer can usually tell where a fish finds most of its food. In the case of the arawana, it is either near or above the water’s surface.

What is the water (in the river) like? What color is it? Can you see the bottom? Can you see fish from the boat?

In the Amazon floodplain, 3 different kinds of water can be found. The Amazon River itself is considered a sediment rich, or muddy river. It is the color of coffee with cream. It is impossible to see down to the bottom. Some other rivers or tributaries that are part of the Amazon floodplain are clear. If you were in a boat traveling down one of these rivers, you most likely would be able to see clear through to the bottom if it was shallow. The third type of water that can be found in the Amazon is blackwater. This water is very dark in color and resembles Coca-Cola. This water is so dark that it acts like a mirror, reflecting all the trees and clouds. Blackwater tributaries dominate in the western and central part of the Amazon basin, while clearwater rivers are more common in the east.

The footage you took of the river dolphins was amazing.
We'd like to know what the difference is between the pink and
gray dolphins. Thanks and keep exploring!

Pink dolphins are often referred to as the Amazon or “boto” dolphin. The pink dolphin has a long, low dorsal fin (this is the fin that runs down its back), large pectoral fins (these are the fins along the side of the body), a long pointed mouth and a large conspicuous forehead, which is often referred to as a melon. They average 5-6 ft in length and weigh about 80 lbs. They turn pinker in color as they get older. This pink color is due to the blood vessels that run in and just beneath the clear skin.

The gray dolphins are also freshwater dolphins but are more porpoise like in appearance. They have a larger dorsal fin, a smaller, less pointed mouth, and a smaller forehead or melon. Gray dolphins average about 4 feet in length and are a bluish-gray color.

What kind of plants grow under the water?

The Amazon River is full of plants. A very unique plant that can be found growing in floodplain lakes is the Giant Victoria water lily. These plants anchor themselves to the muddy river bottom and send up shoots, which produce the leaves and flowers that float on top of the water. The reason why it is called the giant water lily is because of it leaves. A single leaf can grow as much as 6 ft across and support the weight of a small dog or child! Imagine floating on a water lily leaf in the middle of a lake!

Another unique feature of this plant is its flowers. The flowers start off white. The sweet fruity odor of these flowers attracts beetles. Now why do you think this flower would want to attract beetles? Yes, for pollination! Once the beetle is inside the flower, the flower closes shut, trapping the beetle inside. The next day, after the flower has been pollinated, the flower reopens to release the beetle. The flower then changes colors, turning from a white color to a reddish purple. All this happens within 24 hours! I sure hope the Expedition team spots some of these lilies. They are magnificent indeed.

What kinds of animals do you see when you're on the boat?

During my expedition to the Amazon in 2003, we traveled over 2000 miles along the Amazon River from Iquitos to Belem and were able to see many animals from aboard the boat. One morning as the sun rose, we saw pink river dolphins sufacing for air. They were very beautiful with the orange glow of the sun highlighting their pink bodies. We also saw lots of sloths up in the trees. You had to use binoculars to really see them. They didn’t move around much and were quite lazy. In the distance, we heard the cries of howler monkies. Their howl is so loud that it could be heard from miles away! We also had a once in a life time experience to see a hyacinth macaw in the wild. These birds are highly endangered. No one on the boat had ever seen one in the wild before. It was a real treat!

Why do people sell endangered animals as pets?

Many people sell endangered animals as pets because there is a demand for them. Many people who buy these are probably not aware that these animals are so endangered. That’s why educating others about the rainforest and the animals that call it home is so important. If people were more aware of the situation, there wouldn’t be such a demand for some of these pets. We all can make a big difference if we teach others about what we learn.

What kinds of fish do people eat in the rainforest? What does it taste like?

In the Amazon people get most of the protein in their diet from fish. Fish is a very important part of their diet. Fish consumed in the Amazon include the tambaqui, peacock bass, catfish, and even piranha! We think of piranha eating people, not people eating piranha. Pirahna are actually very bony fish. Its hard to eat a piranha without getting a bone stuck in your teeth. Tambaqui is very sweet tasting. This is due to all the nuts, fruits and seeds these fish consume when they migrate into the forest during the high water season.

What do you do all day at work?
I have a plethora of duties here at the aquarium. Most of my time is spent on husbandry duties for the animals, including a large variety of Amazon River fish, turtles, a Green Anaconda, Camine Lizards, Dwarf Camine, an Emerald Green Tree Boa, Giant Cockroaches, Giant Centipedes, Goliath Bird Eater Tarantulas, Pink Toe Tarantulas, Giant Tailless Whip Scorpions, Poison Arrow Frogs, a Pygmy Marmoset (little monkey), a variety of birds, Suriname Toads, Caecilian Worms, Apple Snails, and a colony of Bullet Ants. As if that wasn't enough, I also work on exhibit maintenance, keeping everything looking good, taking care of the plants. I also help the guests of the aquarium when I can, and work to keep the rest of the staff here informed on activities that are going on in my area of the building.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

What is your favorite rainforest animal? Why?
The diversity of animals and plants that you can find in the rainforest is probably my favorite thing about it. I love seeing how animals and plants have adapted to living in a highly competitive environment and seeing the solutions that nature has come up with so that they can get food, defend themselves, and reproduce in an environment where places to live come at a premium.

Why do you like working at the Shedd?
I love being able to work directly with the animals, and the freedom I get from my supervisors to kind of run with ideas or projects. The philosophy that we've kind of been running with here, to try and create as natural an environment as possible, is awesome, especially when you see animals reproducing on exhibit, because, as a husbandry person, it lets us know that the animals are not only surviving, but they are thriving in the homes we have given them. I also love working with a group of people that love what they do. It sets up a very positive environment and makes work fun.

What inspired you to become involved in the rainforest?
Well, I've always loved small freshwater fish, particularly Corydoras catfish and sucker mouth catfish, and if I want to work with these animals, the Amazon river is the place to look.

What did you want to be when you were little?
Oh, I wanted to be lots of things when I was little, a pilot, a construction worker, and a race driver were probably at the top of my list when I was a wee one. It wasn't until I was in high school that I really developed a passion for my fish.

What is the coolest fact you know about the rainforest?
I really couldn't pick just one thing about the Amazon rainforest to rank as the coolest. For me, it's the whole ecosystem that is fascinating--the interactions between animals and plants, the adaptations to the climate and seasons. Sure there are animals that I love, none more so than the Zebra Plecostomus, but I can't really pick out one thing.

What do you do in your free time?
I enjoy watching open wheel motor racing (Formula One and Indy Cars), watching most any Bruce Campbell film or Eddie Izzard and The Simpson's, a lot of time driving as I have family and friends in Milwaukee, but the drive gives me ample time to enjoy music from U2, The Cure, Stereophonics, Travis, and others, I have a 46 gallon Amazon aquarium at my apartment along with two cats, and I probably spend too much time playing video games.

What is the best thing about your job?
For me, the best things are when I can make a home for an animal from South America, put the animal in it, and see the animal thrive under my care... and feeding the Anaconda is really cool!

What classes in college did you take to prepare yourself for your job?
I took a lot of biology, math, and chemistry classes, but I want to say the classes that have had the most practical value for the job have been general chemistry, limnology, ethology, ichthyology, and writing classes, creative writing being a favorite. I would also highly recommend a philosophy course or two.

Dan Lorbeske