Furcifer polleni
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| ( Peters , 1874) |
Furcifer polleni (English: Mayotte Chameleon or Pollen's Chameleon) is a species of chameleon from the genus Furcifer . It used to only occur on the Comoros island of Mayotte , but an introduced population now also exists on Anjouan . The species name "polleni" honors the Dutch naturalist François Pollen , whocollectedthe holotype together with Douwe Casparus van Dam .
features
Furcifer polleni is a medium-sized chameleon. The male reaches a total length of 20.5 cm, the female is significantly smaller at 14.8 cm. The head is characterized by a rather high helmet, which clearly protrudes over the back and is covered with plate-like scales. Only the male has a back crest that extends to the tail. The basic color is highly variable. In the male, bright patterns of various shades of gray and green can be seen. Single-colored gray or green specimens are also rare. The shields of the upper lip are usually white. In the female, the colors are often green and yellow. The top of the helmet and the tips of the toes are brick red, the eyelids and wattles are light blue.
habitat
The species is found in both natural and man-made habitats that include pristine wet forests, plantations, and gardens. It is not found in mangrove forests. They can be seen sitting in trees, bushes or undergrowth at altitudes between 27 and 459 m.
Way of life
Furcifer polleni is usually a peaceful species. Only males show mutually aggressive behavior. When two males meet, they attack each other with wide open mouths and try to drive themselves off the branch with biting attacks.
status
The IUCN classifies the Furcifer polleni as “not endangered” ( least concern ), although no information is available about the development of the population. The species is widespread in both urban and intensively used agricultural areas. The ongoing degradation of Mayotte's natural habitats does not appear to be affecting the population. The intensification of agricultural and horticultural areas is also likely to have little effect. Furcifer polleni is listed in Appendix II of the Washington Convention , which regulates the trade in wild-caught species of this species. Between 2000 and 2010, 1562 specimens were exported for the international pet trade.
Keeping in human care
Four weeks after mating, the female lays six to twelve eggs on the floor of the vivarium . At incubation temperatures of 28 to 31 ° C, the young hatch after 260 to 270 days.
literature
- Friedrich-Wilhelm Henkel, Wolfgang Schmidt: Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, the Mascarene, the Seychelles, and the Comoro Islands. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar FL 2000, ISBN 1-57524-014-9 , p. 138.
- Oliver Hawlitschek, Boris Brückmann, Johannes Berger, Katie Green, Frank Glaw : Integrating field surveys and remote sensing data to study distribution, habitat use and conservation status of the herpetofauna of the Comoro Islands. In ZooKeys . Vol. 144, pp. 21-79, 2011, doi : 10.3897 / zookeys.144.1648 .
Web links
- Furcifer polleni in The Reptile Database
- Furcifer polleni inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Hawlitschek, O. & Glaw, F., 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2013.