Jay Markert

Jay is a 42 year old single parent who has lived in Nashville,TN for most of his life. His love for reptiles started at the age of 8 with turtles. He moved to Nashville with his Dad at the age of 13. By the age of 17 he started a landscaping business in Nashville. While running the landscaping business, he started breeding chameleons, doing very well with both ventures. In 2001 he pursued his love of reptiles by getting a job at the Nashville Zoo where he worked for 11 years. During this time he saw his first Uroplatus on the cover of a trade magazine. It was love at first sight. Jay sold all his chameleons and purchased wild-caught Uroplatus. Jay worked with Uroplatus for over 10 years and now works full time as well as starting another related business.