His undergraduate degree was in zoology, with significant coursework in philosophy and theology. His master's and doctoral degrees in systematics and evolutionary biology were from the University of Kansas. He was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Cannatella's research activities focus on the evolution of amphibians, using data from DNA sequences, morphology, behavior, and the fossil record. He is also the Curator of Herpetology in the Texas Memorial Museum. As a boy, he kept amphibians and reptiles as pets, and was able to extend this fascination into gainful employment. His hobbies include plumbing and re-wiring his house, and database programming.