As the human of this group, I am the most distantly related species represented at Extant Relatives. At least until we have some insects to share. I hold a BS degree in Biology from the University of Iowa and received certification as a "Master Herpetologist" through the Amphibian Foundation. I have been keeping reptiles since 2005, when I purchased my first reptile - a Leopard Gecko named "Charlie" - the moment that I moved into my first apartment as a sophomore in college. With a very patient partner, and invaluable guidance from Sarah and Andrew Gilpin at LAC Herps, the crew slowly grew. All of ExRe's reptiles are both family "pets" and educational ambassadors. 

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Animals - even human ones - have always captivated my imagination. Keeping reptiles has been a dream. I love learning about their internal lives, external behaviors, evolutionary history, resiliency, and physiological/behavioral adaptations. Reptiles are no exception, but humans have historically ignored or underplayed the sheer amazingness of this diverse group of animals. 

 

Over the last few decades, I have made a lot of mistakes, waded through a lot of good and bad information, and generally learned a lot about reptiles and herpetoculture. I am still constantly learning. I started Extant Relatives to introduce more humans to more reptiles and to improve the lives of pet reptiles through sharing hands-on reptile interactions and evidence-based herpetoculture practices in a relaxed, judgement-free environment.

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In the future, I hope to move Extant Relatives to a brick-and-mortar location to host reptile meet-and-greets, settle our animals into amazing indoor/outdoor display enclosures for viewing, vend herpetoculture supplies for reptile owners, and swap info with other reptile enthusiasts. I am currently working on very small breeding with several reptile species, which I hope to do more of in the future!

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Have questions? Want to teach me something new? Think you know of a reptile we NEED to get? Great! Contact me: melinda@extantrelatives.com.

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