At the age of eight, David M. Nieves became captivated with reptiles while caring for a garter snake brought home by his brother. This began a lifelong fascination with the field of herpetology. He soon joined the junior naturalist program at the local nature center and, by the time he was in middle school, was sharing his knowledge of reptiles with elementary school students in his hometown, Bellevue, Nebraska.

Since those early years, David has devoted himself to the field of herpetology, creating Reptile Education and Research in 1990, a facility dedicated to the study of reptiles and amphibians from around the world. His career as a research herpetologist takes him to many amazing places to study and photograph these incredible creatures. David’ s photographs are in his two children’s books: Reptiles Up Close and More Reptiles Up Close.

Because of a strong commitment to educate others about this misunderstood and feared group of animals, David continues to present educational programs to people of all ages at schools, libraries, nature centers, literature festivals, children’s museums, expos, and zoos. His books have become an additional way to share and David is currently working on Amphibians Up Close.