Daniel Kane

Dan lives in London, where he leads a team of herpetologists at an international zoological organisation. In his role Dan specialises in the care and management of reptiles and amphibians ranging from Komodo Dragons to Darwin's Frogs, and Galápagos Tortoises to King Cobras. Since discovering his first lizards and snakes as a child on family holidays to the Mediterranean, his interest for the natural world has continued to grow. After spending formative years informally studying a European Adder (Vipera berus) population near his family home in the Lake District, Dan completed his undergraduate dissertation on this very population, earning him a first class honours degree.

In his free time, Dan enjoys travelling the world in search of wildlife. In recent years highlights included a career break to travel around the Americas – where highlights included Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, Whale Shark, Blue Whale, Puma and watching waders on tropical beaches – and assisting with a long-term montane amphibian conservation project in northern Vietnam.

With a scientific mind and keen observational skills, Dan enjoys contributing to a deeper understanding of herpetology by publishing original research in academic journals. Some recent examples include publishing the formal description of several species of reptile and amphibians, describing play behaviour in tree monitors and reporting range extensions for several species of Moroccan reptiles and Vietnamese amphibians. Photography provides a way for Dan to share the wonders of the natural world widely and his images have been featured in print and digital media.

Numerous presentations, podcasts, TV, conferences and hosting visiting students and conservationists from other countries allow Dan to share his passion for herpetology and nature with like-minded individuals and a more general audience. As a Naturetrek tour leader he hopes to bring this enthusiasm and understanding to a new audience on our herping tours.