Labord's chameleon
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| Species: | F. labordi
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| Furcifer labordi (Grandidier, 1872)
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Labord's chameleon (Furcifer labordi ) is a species of chameleon endemic to Madagascar.
Etymology
The specific name, labordi, is in honor of French adventurer Jean Laborde.[3]
Life cycle
Like other Furcifer species (F. antimena, F. lateralis), F. labordi has an obligate year-long lifecycle. It lives for only about 4 to 5 months, making it the shortest lifespan ever recorded for a four legged vertebrate.[4][5] In their natural habitat, eggs hatch with the first rains in November, the growth is rapid, and adulthood is reached by January, at which time they breed. By later February or early March, females have deposited the eggs which will hatch next year, and the entire population dies until the next hatching.
In captivity
In captivity, eggs of F. labordi have hatched after 4 months of incubation at 26 °C (79 °F). Juveniles grow very rapidly, reaching adulthood after 3 months. Females that were properly fed grew with eggs and a vivid coloration, whereas females that were fed a less caloric diet grew thinner and only showed a green coloration.
References
- ^ Template:IUCN
- ^ "Furcifer labordi ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Furcifer labordi, p. 149).
- ^ Karsten KB, Andriamandimbiarisoa LN, Fox SF, Raxworthy CJ. (2008). "A unique life history among tetrapods: An annual chameleon living mostly as an egg" (PDF). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105 (26): 8980–8984. doi:10.1073/pnas.0802468105. PMC 2449350. PMID 18591659.
{{cite journal}}: Check|last=value (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Natural history: Nasty, brutish and short (subscription required).
Further reading
- Grandidier A. (1872). "Descriptions de quelques Reptiles nouveaux découverts à Madagascar en 1870 ". Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Cinquième Série [Fifth Series], Zoologie et Paléontologie 15 (20): 6-11. ("Chamæleo Labordi ", new species, p. 7). (in French).
External links
- Labord's chameleons of Madagascar live fast, die young (BBC, Earth News).
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