Jeffrey Todd Cornwell

Todd Cornwell, Affectionately known as Todd "The Snake Man", grew up in San Jose, California, where his fascination with the natural world began early. As a child, he spent countless hours hiking the Santa Cruz Mountains with his family, flipping rocks and logs, looking for newts and salamanders. In grade school, he would catch tarantulas to observe for a few weeks before releasing them and he kept garden spiders through the summers, feeding them flies and grasshoppers.

That early curiousity for the "Creepy Crawlies" only deepened with age. As an adult, Todd founded a reptile rescue, and managed it for over 16 years. To support the rescue, he entertained at children's parties with his snakes, turning education into excitement. Over the years, he has written more than 20 reptile care sheets and built a reputation as a trusted voice in reptile husbandry, winning an author of the year award in 2016.

Happily married for almost 35 years to his very patient wife Tina, he has three children.

A unique fact about Todd: He has been bitten by all five of the world's largest snake species. At the height of his work, he cared for almost 150 reptiles: chelonians (turtles); arachnids (spiders and scorpions), snakes and lizards, spanning 27 different species. His lifelong passion has not only made him a resuer and educator, but a storyteller, bringing his love of the reptile world to readers everywhere.