fbpx
Global-Wildlife-Conservation Global-Wildlife-Conservation
  • Our Mission
    • Biodiversity
    • Extinction
  • Our Work
    • Wildlands
    • Wildlife
    • Guardians
    • Solutions
    • Impact
  • Our Stories
    • Blog
    • Press Room
    • Romeo The Frog
    • Search for Lost Species
  • Get Involved
    • Stay Informed
    • Follow Us
    • Ambassadors
    • Corporate Partners
    • Events
  • Donate

FOUND: Rediscovery of Lost Chameleon Reveals Reptile’s (Spectacular) True Colors

Expedition Team in Madagascar Gets Rare Photos and Video of Flashy Voeltzkow’s Chameleon

For immediate release
October 30, 2020
Download photos and video*

An expedition team’s two-week trip to northwestern Madagascar in search of the lost Voeltzkow’s chameleon (Furcifer voeltzkowi) not only resulted in the successful rediscovery of the species, but the discovery that the females are very colorful. The Voeltzkow’s chameleon is the sixth of Global Wildlife Conservation’s top 25 “most wanted” lost species to be rediscovered, and its rediscovery will help unlock the many secrets surrounding the cryptic species first described in 1893 and last seen in 1913 in Madagascar. Although the expedition took place in April of 2018, the rediscovery was announced today, Oct. 30, in the scientific journal Salamandra.

“I thought we might have a good chance of rediscovering Voeltzkow’s chameleon, but I was surprised that it took so long and that it was so difficult,” said Frank Glaw, head of the Department of Vertebrates at the Zoologische Staatssammlung München, who led the expedition, which also included chameleon asset management ltd, the Swiss sponsor, represented by Carlos Zanotelli, and the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar. “Our efforts were entirely unsuccessful during most of the trip to find it where we thought it would most likely be. That was really frustrating, but the rediscovery during the last few days of the trip immediately changed everything and brought us an incredibly happy ending.”

The members of the team found numerous individual chameleons on the first trip, including three males and about 15 females. According to Glaw, they found what seemed to be a healthy population for a short-lived species. Expedition member Angeluc Razafimanantsoa, a professional guide from Montagne d’Ambre in northern Madagascar who joined in 2018, was the first to spot the chameleon, which the team identified immediately as their query.

The females of the species especially stand out, Glaw said, with their brilliant colors—purple, orange, red, green, black and white—with striking patterns. The females can change color depending on their “mood,” and the number of red dots on their flanks varies by individual.

The biggest challenge for the expedition team was the result of a quirk in the expected natural history of the species. The closest relative to the Voeltzkow’s chameleon is probably Labord’s chameleon (Furcifer labordi), a species that lives for a mere four or five months. It spends most of its time as an egg, then hatches in November, grows rapidly to reach sexual maturity within two months, lays eggs in January and February, and then dies in February or March. The biologists expected Voeltzkow’s chameleon to have a similar life history, with a lifespan just a few weeks longer, leaving the team a very short and precise period of time to find live adults—an especially challenging task during the rainy season, when roads to its habitat are not accessible.

“The Voeltzkow’s chameleon adds color and beauty to the planet, and reminds us that even when all seems lost, a great adventure can rekindle hope even for species we haven’t seen since Woodrow Wilson was president,” said Don Church, GWC president and a Search for Lost Species program lead. “Now we have so much to learn about this extraordinary reptile, including how we can best save it from extinction.”

In their study published today, Glaw and his team have provided the first data on the natural history of the species and the morphological and color differences between this species and Labord’s chameleon, in addition to analyzing how different the two are genetically. Their results unambiguously confirm that the Voeltzkow’s chameleon is actually a species separate from Labord’s chameleon (Furcifer labordi).

Madagascar is home to nearly half of the world’s chameleon species, where bush fires, cattle grazing and deforestation threaten the survival of the reptiles. According to Glaw, parts of the potential habitats of the Voeltzkow’s chameleon are already protected in nature reserves and additional conservation action will be based on future research about the distribution of the species.

“The Voeltzkow’s chameleon is a powerful flagship species for conservation in the region,” said Zanotelli, who was also on the 2018 expedition. “It is imperative that we protect nature and treat natural habitats as if we would like to live there. Only in this way can we ensure the future of the incredible species, like the Voeltzkow’s chameleon, we share this planet with.”

About 96 chameleon species in Madagascar live nowhere else in the world. Although the team had great success rediscovering the Voeltzkow’s chameleon, Furcifer monoceras, the second species they aimed to rediscover, eluded them. Voeltzkow’s chameleon is known from a few animals, while F. monoceras is known only from a single animal—all of which were found more than 100 years ago. Voeltzkow’s chameleon is named after Alfred Voeltzkow, who discovered the species and was an important explorer of northwest Madagascar.

The Search for Lost Species is the largest-ever quest to find and conserve wildlife lost to science for at least a decade. GWC has confirmed the rediscovery of five other species from its 25 most wanted lost species list: Jackson’s climbing salamander in Guatemala, both the Wallace’s giant bee and the velvet pitcher plant in Indonesia, the silver-backed chevrotain in Vietnam, and the Somali sengi in Djibouti earlier this year.

The Salamandra paper’s additional authors are: David Prötzel, Timon Glaw and Julia Forster, Zoologische Staatssammlung München; Falk Eckhardt, NABU Niedersachsen; Njaratiana A. Raharinoro and Rojo N. Ravelojaona, Mention Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale; Kathrin Glaw, Museum Mensch und Natur; and Miguel Vences, Zoologisches Institut.

# # #

Photo: A rediscovered female Voeltzkow’s chameleons. (Photo by Kathrin Glaw)
Download photos and video*
*Reporters and others who distribute this news can use the images in their news coverage of the rediscovery, but should give correct credit for the pictures.

Global Wildlife Conservation
GWC conserves the diversity of life on Earth by safeguarding wildlands, protecting wildlife and supporting guardians. We maximize our impact through scientific research, biodiversity exploration, habitat conservation, protected area management, wildlife crime prevention, endangered species recovery, and conservation leadership cultivation. Learn more at http://globalwildlife.org

chameleon asset management ltd
chameleon asset management ltd is a Swiss/Basel based wealth manager with key competences in convertible bonds. Securities that can be exchanged/converted into their underlying stock or being paid back at nominal on the option of the investor. Our logo brand stands too for optimal adaptation for general, discretionary, wealth caring needs of UHNWI´s and Family Offices. Learn more at www.chameleon-asset.ch

Contact
Lindsay Renick Mayer
Global Wildlife Conservation
lrenickmayer@globalwildlife.org
202-422-4671

Devin Murphy
Global Wildlife Conservation
dmurphy@globalwildlife.org
845-598-8092

  • Madagascar
  • Search for Lost Species
  • Lost Species
  • Voeltzkow's Chameleon

Categories

Cool/Quirky Re/Discovery Research

Related Posts

Savanna Elephants Return, Gloriously, to Virunga National Park In Unprecedented Numbers

12. 07. 2020

Population of Up to 700 Individuals Is Rapidly Rewilding a Landscape T

Read More

With Fewer than 20 Loa Water Frogs Left in the World, Hatching of Tadpoles Revives Hope for Critically Endangered Species

10. 22. 2020

Successful Breeding at the National Zoo of Chile Marks Pivotal First S

Read More

Tasmanian Devils Return to Mainland Australia for First Time in 3,000 Years

10. 05. 2020

Historic First Release of Devils into the Wild Establishes Foundation

Read More

Kids Invited to Write Postcards to the First Tasmanian Devils Reintroduced to the Wild on Mainland Australia

10. 05. 2020

Thirty Postcards Will Be Featured in an E-Book For immediate release O

Read More

FOUND: Romantically Monogamous, Mouse-sized Elephant-Shrew Rediscovered Dashing Around the Wilds of Djibouti

08. 18. 2020

Rediscovery of the Somali Sengi, One of Global Wildlife Conservation

Read More

Tropical Treetop Cameras Capture First-ever Wild Footage of Critically Endangered Roloway Monkey

06. 16. 2020

Search for Lost Red Colobus Monkey Produces Striking Videos of Other R

Read More
Previous Next
    About
    • About Us
    • Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Careers
    • GWC Ethics
    Collaboration
    • Conservation Partners
    • Associate Scientists
    • Corporate Partners
    • Fiscal Sponsorship
    • Notes From the Field
    Resources
    • Contact
    • Press
    • Financials
    • Charity Navigator
    • Legacy Giving
    Connect

© 2020 Global Wildlife Conservation. All Rights Reserved. Charitable Solicitation Disclosures.

    • Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

  • Our Mission
    ▼
    • Biodiversity
    • Extinction
  • Our Work
    ▼
    • Wildlands
    • Wildlife
    • Guardians
    • Solutions
    • Impact
  • Our Stories
    ▼
    • Blog
    • Press Room
    • Romeo The Frog
    • Search for Lost Species
  • Get Involved
    ▼
    • Stay Informed
    • Follow Us
    • Ambassadors
    • Corporate Partners
    • Events
  • Donate