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O'shaughnessy's Chameleon (Calumma oshaughnessyi)

Island Of Madagascar

Off The East Coast Of Africa

Berenty Reserve

 

O'Shaughnessy's chameleon (Calumma oshaughnessyi) is a species of chameleon endemic to Madagascar. It was named after the British poet and herpetologist Arthur O'Shaughnessy.

 

O'Shaughnessy's chameleon has a range of about 18,000 square kilometers throughout the southeastern portion of the central highlands of Madagascar. Its distribution extends from Tsinjoarivo, Ambatolampy in the north to Andohahela National Park in the south. The species is highly dependent on intact, humid forest as its habitat, living in lower densities on selectively logged territories.

 

They are most active in the morning and the evening.

 

Although in some places common, O'Shaughnessy's chameleon is severely threatened. Its populations are declining and fragmented, and the species is ranked as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Although reports of illegal trade in the species do exist, its primary threat is habitat loss, such as logging and deforestation. While significant populations do exist in protected areas, further loss of inhabitable terrain could fragment and isolate these communities. – Wikipedia

 

 

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Uploaded on March 15, 2024
Taken on November 24, 2017