You may have seen Marcus Andrade at Miami-Dade Parks Talks in the Parks series or his Invasive Anole presentation at FIU’s Invasive Species Day. Or perhaps it was at the Alligator & Croc seminar at Miami-Dade College or at a Homeowners Association education series on snakes. Some call him snake charmer while others call him lizard whisperer. And for good reason! Andrade is the go-to pro when it comes to all things amphibians and reptiles.

Andrade’s mission is the preservation of all native species in natural environments with as little detriment to creatures who find themselves cohabitating in southern Florida. Much of Andrade’s work involves the education of those he encounters through programs like rehabilitation of native creatures and the removal of invasive animals to ensure the sustainability of South Florida’s ecosystem.

Andrade brings a comprehensive approach to environmental management, regulatory compliance, risk assessment, and waste administration to those engaged in managing their properties. Fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, Andrade is adept at discussing creature management and pest control with the professionals in a variety of settings.

Andrade most recently served the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami as the institution’s herpetologist. In his role, Andrade sourced specimens for the museum’s exhibits and directly cared for all venomous and non-venomous reptiles and the amphibians. This included overseeing the capture, restraint, and veterinary procedures. Additionally, Andrade developed breeding programs that saw successes for the first time in over 25 years in the Americas. Andrade was actively engaged in planning Frost’s exhibits estimated to have cost $350 million.

Andrade holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Sciences and Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation from The Pennsylvania State University. Additional professional training includes completion of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Venomous family handling (Elapid, Viperidae, Colubrid, Heloderm), evacuation of inactive burrowing owl burrow, video scoping burrowing owl, large predator restraint, and raptor rehabilitation. Andrade is certified in hunter safety, SCUBA (open water, advanced open water, and rescue), trapping, VRC permitted (Viperidae, Elapid, Colubrid, and Heloderm), and nonnative reptile removal for python extraction.