The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung recently published a great, detailed article about AG member Frank Glaw and his chameleon research in Madagascar. There are also several videos of Timon Glaw, who was also on the last expedition, including some undescribed chameleon species.
Click here for the article [German].
Dr Oliver Hawlitschek from the University of Zurich will be giving a great lecture on the Comoros on Wednesday, 5 March 2025 in Basel (Switzerland). The Comoros are a group of four volcanic islands in the Western Indian Ocean. Compared to similar oceanic archipelagos such as Hawai’i and the Galápagos, however, they are little known globally and little scientifically researched. The fauna is characterised by a large number of endemic species. Over the past 15 years, Oliver has studied the taxonomy, biogeography and ecology of the reptiles and amphibians living there and has been involved in numerous conservation projects. He will be presenting the results of this work on this evening – it’s sure to be very exciting!
Dr. Oliver Hawlitschek The Comoros, a hotspot of herpetological diversity in the Indian Ocean [German]
DGHT city group Basel
Restaurant Schiff
Baslerstraße 32
4102 Binningen
Vortragsbeginn 20.00 Uhr
If that’s not an exciting and highly interesting start to the new lecture year! On Friday 10 January 2025, Falk Eckhardt, a long-standing member of the Chameleons Working Group, will be giving a detailed talk on the chameleons of Madagascar.
Hardly any other lizard family is as well known as the chameleons. This is mainly due to their many special features, such as their independently movable eyes, rapid colour change, sling tongue, pincer-like feet and prehensile tail. Madagascar is considered the centre of species diversity in this family. Almost half of all chameleon species, including the world’s smallest and largest species, live on this island. There are currently around 100 species on Madagascar, divided into four genera. Representatives of the two original genera Brookesia and Palleon are predominantly small, brownish in colour and usually stay close to the ground. Their ability to change colour is limited and their tail is rather short. The two other genera Calumma and Furcifer, on the other hand, show all the classic characteristics of the ‘typical’ chameleon.
In his lecture, Falk will discuss the distribution and lifestyle of Madagascan chameleons. Special attention will also be paid to the short lifespan of some species, which Falk has also worked with professionally over a longer period of time. The importance of chameleons in Malagasy culture will also be discussed. That really sounds like a wonderful chameleon evening!
Falk Eckhardt Madagascar’s chameleons [German]
DGHT regional group Hamburg
Clubhouse “Am Sportplatzring”
Sportplatzring 47
22527 Hamburg
Presentation starts at 8.00 p.m.
Picture: Furcifer labordi female, photographed by the presenter
Wolfgang Schmidt, long-time member of the AG Chameleons, will give a detailed lecture on chameleons in Bergkamen on 01 November 2024. Wolfgang has already kept and successfully propagated a large number of chameleon species at home. He has also been travelling with his wife to the various habitats of chameleons for years, be it in South Africa, Socotra or Saudi Arabia. It is sure to be an exciting and colourful talk, just the thing for chameleon lovers!
Wolfgang Schmidt Observations of chameleons in the wild and in the terrarium [German]
DGHT city group Dortmund
Restaurant Olympia
Im Alten Dorf 2
59192 Bergkamen
Meeting from 5.30 p.m.
Presentation starts at 7.30 p.m.
Regina Liebel will give a detailed presentation about a great trip to Namibia on July 5, 2024 in Bergkamen near Dortmund. After the European Championship match, of course ;) .
Regina Liebel A round trip over 3481 km through Namibia [German]
DGHT City Group Dortmund
Restaurant Olympia
Im Alten Dorf 2
59192 Bergkamen
Meeting from 5.30 pm
Lecture starts at 7.30 pm
On 15 December 2023, Benjamin Scheler from Burgrieden will give an illustrated talk in Frankfurt am Main about a trip to Oman. The Sultanate of Oman is located in the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula and borders the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
As a desert connoisseur, Benjamin Scheler travelled through Oman for two weeks last year. He travelled around 4500 km. From his starting point in Muscat, he travelled south-east down the coast. A short detour to the country’s largest island – Masirah – then took him to Dhofar. This southernmost province of Oman is the only area of the Arabian Peninsula to feel the influence of the summer monsoon. The flora and fauna are correspondingly different compared to the rest of the country. From there, we travelled a little further north, away from the coast, into the desert areas. We then took the only road through the arid hinterland back to the capital Muscat. Benjamin was able to track down 45 species of reptiles and amphibians, some in unexpectedly high numbers – including chameleons.
All in all, you can expect a great, colourful presentation that will certainly not only delight desert fans!
Benjamin Scheler A (first) trip to Oman to find reptiles and amphibians
DGHT City Group Frankfurt
Zoo school of Zoo Frankfurt
Alfred-Brehm-Platz 16
60316 Frankfurt am Main
Einlass ab 18.30 Uhr, Vortragsbeginn 19.00 Uhr
Photo: Chamaeleo arabicus in Oman, photographed by Benjamin Scheler
Heiko Werning, known as the editor of Reptilia and columnist for the taz, will be giving an illustrated lecture on 18 November 2023 in Neu-Ulm (Bavaria) about not only, but also chameleons in Spain.
On an exciting journey across Spain, he will show how many reptiles and amphibians the European country has to offer. And the diversity is impressive! Heiko’s journey begins in the Basque Country and then leads through Galicia to northern Castile with its beautiful salamanders. In the central Spanish mountain ranges, the herpetologist encounters the quaint mountain lizards. A few hours’ drive west of Madrid, in Extremadura, Heiko finds himself among vultures in the truest sense of the word. And on the southern Spanish Atlantic coast, he finally encounters the European chameleon and its habitat. Finally, Heiko takes his viewers to south-east Spain, where he has found, among other things, Moorish tortoises and the European fringed finger in the only desert in Europe. All in all, a colourful firework display of images and entertaining anecdotes – every reptile lover should get their money’s worth here!
Heiko Werning The Spanish mainland – A destination (also) for herpetological gourmets
DGHT City Group Ulm
Il Mio Ristorante
Europastraße 15
89231 Neu-Ulm
Meeting from 6.30 pm
On Friday, 3 November 2023, Reinhard Münzer will give a lecture on a trip to South Africa that is not just about herpetology. The country, which is 3.4 times the size of Germany and has a diverse natural environment, offers the best conditions for exciting and varied discoveries. The lecture will not only show reptiles, but of course also the Big Five.
Reinhard Münzer Travel impressions South Africa
DGHT regional group Mönchengladbach/Krefeld
Vereinsheim SC 08 Schiefbahn
Siedlerallee 27
47877 Willich-Schiefbahn
Meeting from 7.30 pm, presentation starts at 8.00 pm
Picture: Reinhard Münzer
On Saturday, 16 September 2023, Laura and Bobby Bok will give a talk on herpetological trips to Turkey. The herpetofauna of Anatolia is astonishingly diverse – not without reason it is also called “Asia Minor”. Reptiles from the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the deserts of Arabia meet here. From turtles to the smallest gecko – there is a lot to tell from Anatolia!
Laura und Bobby Bok Türkiye from Trabzon to the Taurus
DGHT city group Ulm
Il Mio Ristorante
Europastraße 15 (Am Mutenhölzle)
89231 Neu-Ulm
Begin at 6.30 p.m.
On Saturday, 16 September 2023, Uwe Prokoph will give a lecture on a herpetological journey to the Western Sahara and the south of Morocco. Although the landscape there seems rather hostile at first glance, there is a lot to discover, especially in reptiles!
Uwe Prokoph Desert Wonderworlds
DGHT Stadtgruppe Kassel
House Schönewald
Wilhelmstraße 17
34233 Fuldatal
from 6 o’clock p.m.
