Taking inventory of invisible chameleons

On the island of Madagascar, the small Vohimana nature reserve, with its endemic flora and fauna, is a biodiversity hotspot. This reserve, managed by an NGO, is an ecotourism centre where you can see lemurs, chameleons and birds in a humid forest environment. 

There is a small amphibian just a few centimetres long, the Baron's mantel, as well as many species of chameleon.

To gain a detailed understanding of the level of threat to these species, it is necessary to study their way of life in the wild. Research projects have been initiated by Olivier Marquis, biologist and curator at the Paris Zoological Park, in collaboration with the reserve's staff, students from the University of Antananarivo and other external collaborators such as the Swiss association Caméléon Center Conservation.

They have made it possible to study the habitat and behaviour of the Baron's mantel and to describe the microclimatic preferences of all the species of chameleon living in the reserve, a dozen species in all, from the smallest (3 cm all in) to the largest, the Parson's chameleon (40 cm without the tail). These studies are carried out thanks to the collaboration of the reserve's guides, whose knowledge of the environment is indispensable. They are funded for several months of the year to collect field data.

Understanding the way of life of these species, which have never been studied in the wild before, provides essential data for understanding the fragile relationship between these animals and their natural environment. In the future, all this data could be used for in situ conservation measures, as well as providing essential information for improving ex situ breeding conditions if necessary. Project: radio-tracking of several Parson's chameleon individuals.