Jo with Heloderma sign in Snow Canyon / Utah

Hans-Joachim Schwandt, Ph. D.

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1942 Born in Berlin
1963 End of High school
1966 - 1969 Study of Pharmaceutical Science at the Freie Universität Berlin
1973 Ph. D. in Pharmaceutical Chemisty in Berlin
1974 - 1976 Post doctorate fellowship at UC San Francisco California
1976 - 2000 Laboratory supervisor at the Zentrum für Kinderheilkunde der Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen.
2001 Retirement

Curriculum vitae as herpetoculturist

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1974 First reptile excursion into the Californian deserts.
1975 Encounter with "Berta" (Lampropeltis get.cal.baby) in Los Molinos,

California. He lived with me for 32 years and died on October 14th,2007*

1975 - 1977 Keeping of rattlesnakes.
1977 - 2007 Establishment and care of the terrarium with snakes in the entrance hall at the Zentrum für Kinderheilkunde.
1977 - 2000 Permanent keeping and breeding of American and European Colubrid snakes (e.g. Elaphe and Lampropeltis) and European lizards (Lacerta viridis and L. lepida). Keeping of Gila Monsters.
2000 Abandonment of snake breeding. Specializing to breed Heloderma suspectum. Intensive study of the English and scarse German literature about Heloderma.

Establishment of breeding pairs.

2002 First copulation of Heloderma suspectum, no egg depositing.
2003 2 clutches of eggs - 100% hatching.
2007 Scientific permit ( § 43 HSOG) of the government of Hessen to keep and breed the genus Heloderma for scientific research
2003 - 2020 Hatchlings each year.

2011 Decision to not reproduce for this year.

2019 Publication of my book

"The Gila Monster - Heloderma suspectum" "Die Gila-Krustenechse - Heloderma suspectum"

ff. Well it goes on! The fascination about these survival artists of the dinosaur age continues.
* Berta turned out to be a male