Petter's chameleon
Petter's chameleon (Furcifer petteri)
Daraina Protected area.
nw MADAGASCAR
This is a small chameleon with a length of 150mm. The male of this species has 2 rostral protruberances. The body is green with frequent lighter vertical markings. Females possess two white spots on the anterior part of their flanks and males show a white mid-lateral stripe instead.
RANGE: Dry and humid forests located in northern Madagascar.
It is a true chameleon as it possesses a prehensile tail. This plus its opposable, fuxed fingers help it adapt to its arboreal life. Oviparous.Chameleons are well-known for their special adaptions: Ability to change color rapidly to either match their surroundings or to reflect their mood. They have the capacity to move their turreted eyes independently of each other which allows them to look in different directions simultaneously. They also capture their prey with the rapid firing of their tongue which can extend to approximately half of their body length and is ended with a kind of gluing hammer.
Furcifer petteri is CITES 1 classification and is NOT allowed by the CITES Animal Committee to be exported from Madagascar.
There are more than 150 species world wide and over half of those are only found in Madagascar. All species on the island are Native.
