Giant chameleon
| Giant chameleon | ||||||||||||
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Giant chameleon ( Furcifer oustaleti ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Furcifer oustaleti | ||||||||||||
| ( Mocquard , 1894) |
The giant chameleon ( Furcifer oustaleti ), also called Madagascar giant chameleon , is the largest chameleon species with a length of up to 70 cm . It is native to the savannahs and forests of the African island of Madagascar . The scientific name honors the French zoologist Émile Oustalet .
Appearance
Giant chameleons are more impressive because of their size than their color. The helmet looks very powerful, the back and throat ridge consist of conspicuous cone scales . The male usually has a dirty-looking camouflage color, which consists of brown and gray tones. In contrast, the females look a lot more colorful. They are dominated by green tones, which are often complemented by white spots on the flanks.
Diet, reproduction, lifespan
The animal feeds mainly on insects, including flies and cockroaches, which can be a nuisance to humans. It is therefore seen as an insect eater by the inhabitants of Madagascar. Its prey also includes small mammals and lizards.
The intraspecific aggressiveness of Furcifer oustaleti is not particularly pronounced. Nevertheless, like almost all chameleons, they are loners. In general, males and pregnant females are always intolerant of one another. The gestation period lasts about 40 days. Then the female lays up to 50 eggs in the ground. At 28 degrees Celsius, it takes about 250 days for the young chameleons to hatch.
Young giant chameleons grow quickly and are sexually mature after just one year. As a terrarium animal, the giant chameleon can live up to 15 years.
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literature
- Petr Nečas: chameleons. Colorful jewels of nature. 3rd, improved and revised edition. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main 2004, ISBN 3-930612-02-X .
- Wolfgang Schmidt, Klaus Tamm, Erich Wallikewitz: Chameleons. Dragons of our time. 5th, completely revised and expanded edition. Natur-und-Tier-Verlag, Münster 2010, ISBN 978-3-86659-133-2 .
Web links
- Furcifer oustaleti in The Reptile Database
- Furcifer oustaleti inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Posted by: Jenkins, RKB, Andreone, F., Andriamazava, A., Anjeriniaina, M., Brady, L., Glaw, F., Griffiths, RA, Rabibisoa, N., Rakotomalala, D., Randrianantoandro, JC, Randrianiriana, J., Randrianizahana, H., Ratsoavina, F. & Robsomanitrandrasana, E., 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2014.