Jeweled chameleon  (Furcifer campani)

Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2006 (1), and listed on Appendix II of CITES (3).

This tiny chameleon varies from pale green to dark brown in colour, and is elaborately decorated with numerous small, light-coloured spots and three prominent pale bands running horizontally along the flanks (2). Red spots may also appear on the head, above the eye (2).

Restricted to the central highlands of Madagascar, between Andringtrs and Antananarivo (1).

This species has been recorded between 1,850 and 2,300 m above sea level in residual high altitude forests and degraded areas, although reports also exist from grassy/shrubby savannah and high altitude prairies (1).

Chameleons are generally diurnal, solitary animals that are often aggressive towards members of their own species, which may be marked by rapid colour change and aggressive posturing (4). Opportunistic hunters, these lizards wait for prey to pass within range, and then fire out their long, sticky tongue to claim their victim (4).

Little is known about the reproductive biology of this species, other than that it is egg-laying (oviparous) with a relatively short incubation period of seven to ten weeks (2). There are reports that two to three clutches are laid each year, with each clutch containing between 8 and 12 eggs (5).

The jeweled chameleon is known to be collected from the wild for sale in the western pet markets, but insufficient data exists to fully understand the impact of this trade. However, probably the greatest threat to the species, and most important factor affecting the future survival of Madagascar’s chameleons, is habitat loss as primary vegetation is cleared for conversion to subsistence agriculture (1).

The jeweled chameleon is listed on Appendix II of CITES, which regulates the volume of international trade in the species (1).

• Diurnal: active during the day.
• Flanks: the sides of the body between the ribs and the hips.

1. IUCN Red List (January, 2007)
   http://www.iucnredlist.org
2. AdCham.com (January, 2007)
   http://www.adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/fcampani.html
3. CITES (January, 2007)
   http://www.cites.org
4. Madagascar (January, 2007)
   http://www.wildmadagascar.org/wildlife/chameleons.html
5. Brady, L.D. and Griffiths, R.A. (1999) Status Assessment of Chameleons in Madagascar.IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.