The Angel's chameleon (''Furcifer angeli''), initially described as ''Chamaeleo angeli'', is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...

, a

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Chamaeleonidae. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, and was originally described by Édouard-Raoul Brygoo and Charles Antoine Domergue in 1968.

Etymology

The specific name, ''angeli'', is in honour of French herpetologist

Fernand Angel Fernand Angel (2 February 1881, Douzy – 13 July 1950, Paris) was a French herpetologist. In 1905 he began work as Assistant Preparator under Léon Vaillant and François Mocquard at the ''Muséum national d'histoire naturelle'' in Paris. Later o ...

Distribution and habitat

''Furcifer angeli'' is

to Madagascar, and can be found in dry forest at the northwest of the country. It has been found in

Bongolava Bongolava is a region in central-western Madagascar. The capital of the region is Tsiroanomandidy. It had a population of 674,474 in 2018. Geography The region is situated in central-western Madagascar. It is bordered by Betsiboka, Melaky, Menabe, ...

, and between

Anjiamangirana I Anjiamangirana I is a town and commune ( mg, kaominina) in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Antsohihy, which is a part of Sofia Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 12,000 in 2001 commune census. Primar ...

and

Namoroka National Park Namoroka National Park, formerly known as Tsingy de Namoroka Strict Nature Reserve, is a national park located in the northwestern part of Madagascar in the Mahajanga Province, specifically, the Soalala District. History Namoroka Strict Natur ...

. It has also been reported to occur at Ambohibola and on the coast near Antsanitia in Mahajanga province. It has been found at between above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

. It lives in trees in dry forests and is diurnal.

Conservation status

''F. angeli'' is listed as being of

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

(IUCN). This is because it has a wide range, estimated to cover an area of . Although the natural habitat of this species is virgin forest, it also occurs close to roads and human habitations. The population size is unknown but is believed to be stable. The main threat to this chameleon is the destruction of forest, including

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...

slash-and-burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed vegeta ...

, but also

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

Description

''F. angeli'' looks like a "drably coloured" version of ''

Furcifer pardalis The panther chameleon (''Furcifer pardalis'') is a species of chameleon found in the eastern and northern parts of Madagascar in a tropical forest biome. Additionally, it has been introduced to Réunion and Mauritius. Taxonomy The Nosy Be pant ...

'' (the panther chameleon). It often has a white stripe down each side and can be distinguished from the otherwise similar ''

Furcifer lateralis The carpet chameleon (''Furcifer lateralis''), also known as the white-lined chameleon, is a species of chameleon that is endemic to Madagascar. It was described in 1831 by John Edward Gray. Description of habitat ''Furcifer lateralis'' can be ma ...

'' by the presence of a spike at the front of its head.

Taxonomy

''F. angeli'' was initially described by Brygoo and Domergue in 1968 as ''Chamaeleo angeli'', but was later transferred to the genus ''Furcifer''. ''Furcifer angeli'' is also known as "Angel's chameleon" after the French herpetologist

Etymology

Distribution and habitat

Conservation status

Description

Taxonomy

References

Further reading