Dr. Viper Kimberly Urban
Dr. Kimberly Urban (“Dr. Viper”) is a lifetime reptile aficionado who has been keeping various species her entire life. She has 20 years of experience with geckos and agamid lizards, and began working with pythons and boas 9 years ago. Kimberly received professional venomous mentoring for 2 years and began keeping vipers 4 years ago. Her true passion lies in the captive care and propagation of these amazingly evolved serpents. Kimberly received a Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2013 and currently works as a researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, studying the effects of social stress on brain development and cognition. She maintains a sizable viper collection as a hobby, and is working towards establishing a licensed breeding business in the fall of 2015. Stay tuned for Dr. Viper’s Venom Vault, a series of articles on the safe handling, care, and biology of viperid species, along with personal experience stories!