Jewelled chameleon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jewelled chameleon |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Chamaeleonidae |
| Genus: | Furcifer |
| Species: |
F. campani
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| Binomial name | |
| Furcifer campani (Grandidier, 1872)
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The jewelled chameleon (Furcifer campani) is a fascinating type of lizard. People also call it Campan's chameleon or the Madagascar forest chameleon. This special creature lives only in the high mountains of Madagascar. Sadly, its home is in danger from bush fires and losing its natural habitat.
Contents
Meet the Jewelled Chameleon!
What's in a Name?
The scientific name for this chameleon, campani, was given to honor a French person named Dominique Campan. He lived in Madagascar a long time ago.
How to Spot a Jewelled Chameleon
The jewelled chameleon is quite small. It grows to about 14 centimeters long, which includes its tail. Its body color can change from light green to dark green, and even brown. You can often see three light brown stripes along each side of its body. Between these stripes, there are many small, bright spots, like tiny jewels! Its head sometimes has little red spots too. This chameleon also has a small ridge, or "crest," along its back. This crest is made of tiny bumps.
Where Do They Live?
These chameleons are unique to the central mountains of Madagascar. They live high up, between 1,850 and 2,300 meters above sea level. Their home stretches from an old volcano called Ankaratra all the way to the Andringitra National Park. This is a large area, but only some parts are good for them to live in. Because of this, their groups are spread out. The jewelled chameleon mostly lives on the ground. It prefers grassy mountain areas and heathlands with small bushes and a few scattered trees.
What Do They Eat and How?
Jewelled chameleons are clever hunters. They are "ambush predators." This means they stay very still and wait patiently for their food to come close. Their main diet is insects. When an insect is near enough, the chameleon quickly shoots out its long, sticky tongue. The insect gets stuck, and the chameleon pulls it back in for a tasty meal!
The Jewelled Chameleon's Life Cycle
Jewelled chameleons have babies two or three times each year. The female chameleon lays a group of eight to twelve eggs in hidden spots. If these eggs are kept in a special lab at about 20 degrees Celsius, they hatch in about nine months. The baby chameleons that come out are tiny, only about 23 millimeters long! They grow up very quickly and can have their own babies when they are just three months old. Some people have seen these chameleons "hibernate" during the colder winter months. They do this by burying themselves in leaves to stay warm and safe.
Protecting These Special Chameleons
Even though some people say the jewelled chameleon is common in certain grassy areas, we don't have an exact count of how many there are. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species says this chameleon is "Vulnerable". This means it's at risk of becoming endangered.
Why is it vulnerable? Its home is being cleared to make space for farms. Also, there's a yearly practice of burning parts of the land. Another chameleon, the white-lined chameleon (F. lateralis), lives in the same areas. That species seems to handle these changes better than the jewelled chameleon.
While the national park should offer some protection, the chameleons living in the Ankaratra mountains are still at risk. Many years ago, in 1994, more than five thousand jewelled chameleons were taken from Madagascar to be sold. Since then, the export of most chameleons from Madagascar, including the jewelled chameleon, has been stopped. However, some might still be illegally collected. Experts believe we need to work on stopping the fires that harm the grasslands where these beautiful chameleons live.
