Me at a beach.Name: Natalie McNear
Birthdate: April 19th, 1988
Hometown: Novato, California
Education: I am a first-year Animal Biology major at UC Davis.
Born and raised in rather rural Marin County, I have always been fascinated with the natural world around me. As a kid, I spent most of my spare time up in the forested hills catching bugs, salamanders, and snakes, and my passion for Californian wildlife (and all life in general) has never ceased. My father, who unfortunately passed away in 1996, fueled my interest in a wide range of hobbies and interests... Anything from stamp and coin collecting to geology to maintaining aquariums.
Speaking of aquariums, I would have to say they are one of my most passionate interests in life. I have been keeping my own tanks since I was ten, and I currently own about five full setups (used to be more, but I decided to downsize a bit when I left for college. Hahaha...). I even have a fish tank in my dorm room - it houses a school of Trigonostigma hengeli, a group of Neocaridina denticulata, and is planted with Hygrophila difformis, Anubias barteri var. "nana", and Cryptocoryne wendtii. It is the pride of my dorm room. Screw posters and and all that fancy wall stuff, I have an awesome fish tank. I probably spend more time working on my fish tank and studying ectothermic animals (out of my own curiosity no less) than I do on my actual school work.
