Since his earliest days growing up in Chicago’s Northwest Side, he has been fascinated by the natural world. At the time, that world consisted primarily of his backyard and the small neighborhood green space, Samuel Gompers Park. But ever since the 1980s, when he moved to Washington and began working as an aquarist at the newly renovated Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, He has been able to pursue his passion for nature and his fascination with human-animal interactions full-time. He is the author of 19 books on topics ranging from gray whales to slugs and snails.