Here's an article about my friend Bert which also mentions me as well
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/...lizards23w.htm
Montevallo man makes his living with lizards
By Nick Thomas
Special to the Advertiser
The green lacerta is a very strong lizard that can be kept outdoors as far north as southern Ohio and Kentucky. This is one of the lizards that Lengerwerf specializes in breeding.
-- Contributed photos
If lizards came with labels, lizards all over the world would bear "made-in-Alabama" markers -- even those that are not native to the state. The reason is a man named Bert Langerwerf.
You may never have heard of Langerwerf, who lives in Montevallo. But those who know their lizards probably have.
Langerwerf, through his company, Agama International, sells thousands of lizards worldwide each year -- lizards he has raised at his seven-acre property in Montevallo.
"I've bred more than 150 species so far," said Langerwerf, "many of them for the first time in captivity."
The 61-year-old is not originally from Alabama, but came here because he said it is the ideal climate in which to raise most species of lizards.
Langerwerf, who is from the Netherlands, worked as a physics teacher after graduating from the University of Amsterdam. He traveled with his wife, Hester, studying and breeding reptiles throughout Europe, the Canary Islands and New Zealand before eventually settling in Montevallo in 1988.
But Langerwerf's achievements go beyond just breeding.
Bert and Hester Langerwerf, standing in one of their outdoor terreria, display two of the lizard breeds they raise. Bert holds an Argentine Tegu, and Hester holds a small Australian Water Dragon.
Ken Marion, chairman of the University of Alabama at Birmingham biology department, said Langerwerf is responsible for some of the field's most important scientific discoveries.
While he was in his early 30s, Langerwerf determined that the sex of many lizards is determined by the temperature of the incubating eggs.
"For all turtles, most lizards and some snakes, sex is not determined by genetics or inheritance," said Marion. "This phenomenon is now called temperature-dependent sex determination."
For example, for some species, only males will be born in cooler temperatures and only females will be born in warmer ones; a middle-range of temperatures produces both. In other species, it may be just the opposite.
"This means the placement of the nest is critical," said Langerwerf. "Otherwise, a species might only produce offspring of one sex."
Twelve-year-old Jesse, a budding herpetoculturist in Millbrook, studies a green anole. "I only keep them for a little while," says Jesse. "Then I release them back to their habitat."
Langerwerf also made a major discovery about lighting requirements for lizards that has helped change the way zoos nurture and maintain them.
"In the 1970s I also realized that lizards kept indoors were not receiving the full spectrum of light like lizards in the wild," he said. "This was because window glass filters out UV light."
Ken Naugher, the conservation and enrichment manager at the Montgomery Zoo, said this was an important discovery for all lizards in captivity, including the 25 or so currently kept at the zoo's reptile house.
"Lighting is very important for a reptile's health," said Naugher. "They need the full-spectrum of light in order to make vitamin D3, which is necessary for calcium production."
Without calcium, Naugher says the eggs will develop soft and thin shells. The animals can also develop weak bones, become diseased, and die.
"Once I began supplementing their diets with the vitamin, I immediately observed an improvement in their health and breeding," said Langerwerf.
This is one of Langerwerf's Argentine Tegus.
Langerwerf, who has also authored books and published several hundred articles in scientific magazines and journals about lizards, is a sought-after lecturer who spends part of every year traveling around the U.S. and overseas to speak to lizard enthusiasts, both hobbyists and academics.
"When Bert is out of town, I do everything that needs to be done," said Hester, his wife. "It's a big job, especially feeding all the animals."
Hester maintains the family "rat colony," which the Langerwerfs raise as food for some of the larger animals. And she visits local grocery stores to recycle leftover bread and vegetables, which are used to supplement the animals' diets.
Most of the lizards Langerwerf breeds, such as Australian Water Dragons and the giant Argentine Tegus, are not native to the U.S. But both are popular species with herpetologists -- those who raise and breed lizards -- around the world. The babies generally hatch around July, and sell for $40-$50 each.
Langerwerf also raises many smaller lacerta, a colorful lizard native to Europe and Asia.
Although Langerwerf doesn't sell any of the dozen or so lizards that are native to Alabama, he says we have some interesting species that are frequent visitors to local back yards. And he is fond of reminding people how beneficial our native lizards are because they eat insects.
Before acquiring a lizard, especially the exotics that Langerwerf breeds, he advises inexperienced owners to educate themselves about the animal's requirements and consult a knowledgeable veterinarian, as every vet is not an expert on exotics.
"Reptiles have different requirements to dogs and cats," said Montgomery veterinarian Tom Makowski, who sees several hundred reptiles a year at the Pet Care Center on Wallace Drive.
"We see many that are improperly kept," he said. "Problems range from vitamin deficiency, malnourishment, and being kept at improper temperatures. Many require live food and correct lighting, which they don't always get."
Nicole Russell, who recently relocated to Wantage, N.J., has an Argentine Tegu, one of seven reptiles she has purchased from Langerwerf during the past 10 years.
Recently, the creature startled the cable man, who dropped his work and fled from her house.
"He was drilling holes and getting us set up when he suddenly saw my 4-foot lizard roaming the house," she said. "He literally ran from the house in fear."
She said he was not around long enough to discover that he was mistaken about her pet.
"He loves children," she said. "And is really the most docile, sweet animal in the world."
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