Chameleons of Madagascar: a spotter's guide
Madagascar is the chameleon capital of the world. Roughly half of all chameleon species live here and nowhere else, from giants to some of the smallest reptiles on Earth.
The giants and the dwarves
Parson's chameleon is one of the largest in the world, a heavyweight the length of your forearm with ridged casque and slow, deliberate movements. At the other extreme, the leaf-litter Brookesia are barely larger than a thumbnail and play dead when disturbed. Between them sit dozens of jewel-coloured species like the panther chameleon.
How they work
Chameleons change colour mainly to communicate mood and temperature, not to match their background. Each eye swivels independently, then both lock forward to judge distance before the tongue fires out, longer than the body, to snatch an insect. Watching it happen is mesmerising.
Where to find them
Rainforest parks like Andasibe and Ranomafana are superb, especially on night walks when sleeping chameleons turn pale and are easy to spot by torchlight. The drier forests of the west and Amber Mountain in the north hold different species again, part of the wider endemic wildlife.
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