The carpet chameleon (''Furcifer lateralis''), also known as the white-lined chameleon, is a species of

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 ...

that 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 ...

. It was described in 1831 by John Edward Gray.

Description of habitat

''Furcifer lateralis'' can be mainly found in central Madagascar. According to 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), the species is found around the entirety of Madagascar except the northern part. It can be found between above sea level and has been estimated to be found over an area of , and is ranked as

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 ...

(LC). The population of ''Furcifer lateralis'' is currently stable.

Description

Both sexes of ''Furcifer lateralis'' can reach a maximum length of anything between . The males are largely green and females are heavier-bodied and have a wider range of colours, including bands of white, yellow and orange. Both sexes have stripy throats and lips. They can change their colour depending on their mood and environmental factors and they usually start the day with a dark colour to enable them to warm up rapidly by exposing themselves to sunlight. This species is one of the smallest "true" species of chameleon, and they are timid and shy. The form ''major'' has now been recognized as a separate species ''Furcifer major''.

Reproduction

''Furcifer lateralis'' adults mature at the age of three months. Females lay between eight and twenty-three eggs at one time, and can produce up to three clutches a year. The eggs have to be maintained at a steady temperature of about .

Taxonomy

''Furcifer lateralis'' is also commonly known as the jewel chameleon, the white-lined chameleon, and the carpet chameleon.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q115602 Furcifer

Reptiles described in 1831 Taxa named by John Edward Gray