I am a scientist, educator and author. I received PhD in biology from the University of Miami and MSc in biological engineering from Russian Technological University. My research lies mostly in zoology, animal behavior, ecology, and conservation (my CV). I currently teach at Rutgers University, Newark, and while the courses I teach vary, most often it is Probability, Statistics and preparatory mathematics with applications to natural and social sciences. Most of my books are non-fiction aimed at a broad audience.

My hobbies include travel, nature photography, and searching for particularly rare and little-known animals (more).

Recent updates

March 2026 Co-authored a paper with a large team of experts, Why the polyvagal theory is untenable. It debunks a well-entrenched pseudo-scientific dogma and has already caused a lot of stir; the readership numbers are kind of insane.

January 2026 I'm resuming teaching Biology at Kean University.

December 2025 A second edition of my book Finding Mammals in Japan is now available (from me directly in PDF format).

November 2025. Zootopia 2 is out! I was a consultant for that movie and am super proud. My name is in the credits :-)

November 2025 Another paper out: Street smarts: a remarkable adaptation in a city-wintering raptor. It's generating a lot of media attention, probably because it's unusual to discover something interesting while sitting in your car waiting for a green light. See also the accompanying editorial.

September 20025 Published a short note on cave roosting in northern flickers.

February 2024 My books Wildlife Spectacles and Peterson Field Guide to Finding Mammals are out of print (but I still have a few extra copies for sale). The 2nd edition of Dragon Songs is still available (also Kindle version and audiobook).

August 2023 Published a review paper Play behavior in ectothermic vertebrates. Learned a lot while working on it.

April 2023 A paper by me and my Okinawa colleagues on bat behavior and survival during typhoons is out. It was a very labor-intensive study with cool results, great to have it published.

March 2023 Our paper (with G. Burghardt and S. Doody) The evolution of sociality and the polyvagal theory is out.

January 2023 My paper First case of endothermy in semi-sessile animals became the most downloaded paer at Wiley×€™s. It was probably the most unexpected discovery I ever made.

December 2002 Our paper (with M. Maikov) Long-tailed bandicoot rat is not extinct is out. Remarkably, another team also rediscovered that long-lost species, but a week later and a few kilometers away, on the other side of Iran-Iraq border.

December 2022 Just taught a Field Biology school for 32 children and adults in Florida. It was fun!

September 2022 Starting this semester I will be teaching Math (Statistics, Probability Theory and Algebra) at Rutgers University, Newark.

January 2022 Our book The Secret Social Lives of Reptiles is #1 bestseller on animal behavior on Amazon!