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Judi Lynn

(160,450 posts)
Thu Nov 5, 2020, 06:34 AM Nov 2020

'Lost' chameleon rediscovered after a century in hiding. And it's spectacular.

By Stephanie Pappas - Live Science Contributor 2 days ago



When the female Voeltzkow's chameleon gets stressed, she displays a pattern of red dots and a streak of purple against a background of black and white.
(Image: © Kathrin Glaw)

More than a century after it was last seen, a spectacularly colorful chameleon is back.

Conservationists announced the rediscovery of the Voeltzkow's chameleon (Furcifer voeltzkowi) on Oct. 30 in the journal Salamandra. The animal, endemic to Madagascar, was last seen in 1913 — and until now, no one had ever seen a female Voeltzkow's chameleon. The females turn out to be a striking sight. They can change colors, and at their most brilliant display a pattern of red dots and a streak of purple against a background of black and white.

"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," Don Church, the president of Global Wildlife Conservation, said in a statement. "Now we have so much to learn about this extraordinary reptile, including how we can best save it from extinction."

Lost species
Global Wildlife Conservation spearheaded the expedition as part of its Search for Lost Species program, an attempt to rediscover species that have not been observed by scientists for at least a decade. The goal is to use the discoveries to promote conservation of not only those elusive species, but of their broader habitats and ecosystems.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/lost-chameleon-rediscovered-after-century.html

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3 YEARS AGO
115 Chameleon Babies That Will Make You Fall In Love With Lizards
106Kviews
Renata
Community member

Did you know that chameleons have the ability of rotating their eyes separately, each on 180-degree arcs, and this gives them a full 360-degree field of vision? You probably did. What you perhaps didn‘t know is that these colorful lizards have the cutest babies!

But don‘t worry, we‘ve got you covered here. From the ones that haven‘t even realized they‘ve hatched already, to those that have just caught their first fly, Bored Panda has collected you a bunch of the most adorable chameleon babies ever. Did you ever think that lizards could be this cute?

More:
https://www.boredpanda.com/cute-baby-chameleons/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

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