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::Larry Boyle:: Larry grew up catching frogs, tadpoles, larval Salamanders, turtles, etc. in a small Iowa farming community. One particular summer he used a seining net to catch larval Tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrina) in a temporary water hole at the edge of his home town. Another summer evening he fed lightning bugs to newly morphed Leopard frogs and watched with fascination as the frogs lit up. Larry acquired his first geckos during his Freshman year at Iowa State University. It was a pair of African Fat-tailed Geckos. They are still his favorite species to work with. At one time he had a private collection of 250+ geckos. After graduating from Iowa State University with a BS in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology, he accepted a position in 1995 at the San Antonio Zoo in the Reptile department. He stayed at the zoo for 1.5 years and was offered a job managing Tim Tytle Lizards in the private sector. Larry started working for Tim in late January of 1997. Larry is in his 16th year working for Tim and has traveled to Germany many times to purchase new geckos. ::Tim Tytle:: Tim developed his initial interest in lizards during a trip to the Arizona Desert in 1966. Thereafter, he obtained his BS and MS Degrees at California State University in Los Angeles. His Master's thesis was on speciation in the Western Fence Lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis. In 1971 he was accepted at the University of Colorado to obtain his Ph.D. in Biology, working under the well known Hobart Smith. At the last minute he decided, instead, to go into medicine where, in 1975, he obtained his M.D. degree. His fellowship was in Interventional Radiology at the University of Oklahoma where he eventually became a full Professor. It was in Oklahoma that he was really able to expand his keen interest in lizards and especially in geckos. In this regard, he has authored numerous articles and given even more lectures. Tim was a pioneer in introducing many new species to the gecko hobby, including Rhacodactylus, Coleonyx mitratus, and especially, many species of Phelsuma. He has kept many other species of herps over the years, but geckos have always remained the focus of his attention. This long-standing hobby evolved into a small business when his manager, Larry Boyle, was hired in late 1996. Shortly thereafter the collection was updated with state of the art lighting and misting systems. New glass cages replaced old wood units and other measures were incorporated to stream line the collection and reduce the work load. Tim's other interests include antique clocks, phonograph needle tins, and books on George Custer and the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Tim and Larry's combined reptile experience spans more than 50 years. |