Presentation in Krefeld about Madagascar

by Alex Negro Live lectures

The head of the DGHT Saar-Palatinate regional group, Patrick Schönecker, will be giving a great lecture on Madagascar on Friday, 4 June 2025 in Krefeld. The island in the Indian Ocean is the Mecca for travellers interested in herpetology. Over 90% of the reptiles and amphibians found here are endemic – they don’t exist anywhere else in the world. Patrick has been there several times. In his presentation, he talks about the rainforests in the central highlands and local conservation efforts. But he also travels up north to the small island of Nosy Hara – an extremely special habitat and home to the second smallest chameleon in the world.

Patrick Schönecker Madagascar – Biodiversity and conservation [German]
DGHT Regional group Mönchengladbach/Krefeld
Clubhouse SC 08 Schiefbahn
Siedlerallee 27
47877 Willich-Schiefbahn
Event starts at 7.00 pm

Photo: Calumma parsonii parsonii, photographed by Patrick Schönecker

Presentation in Dortmund about Kenya

by Alex Negro Live lectures

On Friday, 4 July 2025, Regina Liebel will be giving an illustrated talk about a Kenya safari near Dortmund (North Rhine-Westphalia). The country in East Africa is best known for its ‘Big Five’. This lecture shows that the Kenyan herpetofauna also has a lot to offer and certainly has nothing to hide. Regina Liebel takes her audience on a journey through five national parks.

Regina Liebel Kenya safari through five national parks [German]
DGHT City group Dortmund
Restaurant Olympia – Zur alten Post
Im alten Dorf 2
59192 Bergkamen – Weddinghofen
Event starts at 7.30 pm

Presentation in Leipzig about Madagascar

by Alex Negro Live lectures

Johannes Pfleiderer will be giving an illustrated lecture on Madagascar on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Leipzig (Saxony). The island in the Indian Ocean is a mecca for travelers interested in herpetology. Over 90% of the reptiles and amphibians found here are endemic – they are found nowhere else in the world. Among the endemics are not only many chameleons, but also the well-known colorful frogs with their many different representatives.

Johannes Pfleiderer On the way to Mantella & Co. – Zoological travel impressions from Madagascar [German]
DGHT city group Leipzig
Restaurant Neumann
Strelitzer Straße 1
04157 Leipzig
Start at 7 p.m.

Presentation in Dingolfing about Greece

by Alex Negro Live lectures

On Saturday, 15 March 2025, reptile specialist Jochen Zauner will give an richly illustrated lecture on Greece in Bavaria. He will report on his two trips to the western Peloponnese in 2006 and 2023. The Peoloponnese is a peninsula in the south of the Greek mainland. It is the southernmost part of the Balkan Peninsula and therefore the area of Greece that extends furthest into the Mediterranean. In addition to the famous cities of Mycenae, Corinth and Sparta, the peninsula is also home to a diverse herpetological fauna. Between the Strofilia forests in the north and the barren mountain slopes of the Mani in the south, you will encounter some endemics as well as old favourites of the Balkan Peninsula.

Jochen Zauner Herpetological observations in the Peloponnese [German!]
DGHT regional group Niederbayern
Restaurant Aurora
Klausenweg 15
84152 Mengkofen
Begin of the presentation at 8.00 p.m.

Presentation in Basel about the Comoros

by Alex Negro Reiseberichte Live lectures

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

Presentation in Hamburg about Madagascar’s chameleons

by Alex Negro Reiseberichte Live lectures

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

Presentation in Dortmund about chameleons

by Alex Negro Reiseberichte Live lectures

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.

Presentation in Frankfurt about Madagascar

by Alex Negro Live lectures

On Tuesday, 01 October 2024, Rainer Dolch will give an exciting lecture at Frankfurt Zoo. Rainer Dolch has been working for the Mitsinjo Association in the eastern highlands of Madagascar for years, so he will be giving a first-hand report.

As a remnant of the ancient continent of Gondwana, Madagascar has been isolated in the Indian Ocean for more than a hundred million years. Due to the long period of isolation, evolution has gone its own way here and has produced a unique animal and plant world.

These include the lemurs, which comprise more than a hundred species, endemic predators such as the mongoose-like vontsiras and the puma-like fossas, as well as representatives of the tanreks – a group of mammals related to elephants and aardvarks – reminiscent of hedgehogs and shrews. Madagascar’s extinct megafauna also included several species of hippopotamus and giant lemurs as well as the giant ratite Aepyornis. The island’s animal world that still exists today is also massively threatened with extinction due to human influence. In his lecture, Rainer Dolch presents approaches for the urgently needed protection of this unique living world.

Rainer Dolch From Aye-Aye to Fossa – A laboratory of evolution: Can Madagascar’s unique living world still be saved? [German language]
Grzimek House
Zoo Frankfurt (Entry via Rhönstraße)
Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1
60316 Frankfurt am Main
Presentation starts at 6.00 p.m.

Presentation in Dortmund about Namibia

by Alex Negro Reiseberichte Live lectures

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

Presentation in Munich about Greece

by Alex Negro Live lectures

On Thursday, 20 June 2024, reptile specialist Jochen Zauner will give an richly illustrated lecture on Greece in Munich. He will report on his two trips to the western Peloponnese in 2006 and 2023. The Peoloponnese is a peninsula in the south of the Greek mainland. It is the southernmost part of the Balkan Peninsula and therefore the area of Greece that extends furthest into the Mediterranean. In addition to the famous cities of Mycenae, Corinth and Sparta, the peninsula is also home to a diverse herpetological fauna. Between the Strofilia forests in the north and the barren mountain slopes of the Mani in the south, you will encounter some endemics as well as old favourites of the Balkan Peninsula.

Addendum: The lecture was unfortunately cancelled due to the European Football Championship! Another date will hopefully be found.

Jochen Zauner Herpetological observations in the Peloponnese [German!]
DGHT city group Munich
Tübinger Straße 10
80686 Munich
Start of lecture 7.00 pm

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