The rhinoceros chameleon (''Furcifer rhinoceratus'') 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 gets its common name from its horn-like nose which is most prominent in males. It is endemic to dry forests in

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 ...

Description

The male rhinoceros chameleon can grow to about , about twice as big as the female. The male's proboscis-like snout projects forward above its mouth and gives it its common name. The female has a smaller snout. On the top of the head there is a small crest of triangular, projecting scales, and a further crest runs part way along the spine. The general colour is grey or light brown with a few darker-coloured transverse bars. The snout is often bluish, the lips pale and a white line runs down each side of the animal. Females are similar in colour but when they are carrying eggs, they turn purple with black bands and an orange or red tail.

Distribution

The rhinoceros chameleon 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 ...

to dry forests in western Madagascar. Its range extends from the Ankarafantsika National Park in the north west to

Soalala Soalala is a rural municipality in western Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Soalala, which is a part of Boeny Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 15,000 in 2001 commune census. Soalala is served by a ...

in the south west but many of the sightings in the middle of its range were made a long time ago and it is unclear whether it is still to be found in these locations.

Biology

The rhinoceros chameleon is usually a tree-dweller and catches insects by flicking out its sticky tongue with great rapidity. The male guards a

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

and probably uses his long snout to do battle with other males. Little is known of the breeding habits of this chameleon but in captivity the female lays clutches of four to eleven eggs which take about forty one weeks to hatch into miniature chameleons.

Status

The rhinoceros chameleon is listed as being " Vulnerable" in the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

. This is because it lives in deciduous forests in the dry west of the island which are being logged to make way for cattle grazing and for the manufacture of

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...

. It should be protected from these threats in the Ankarafantsika National Park but elsewhere is more vulnerable. It is also at risk from bush fires. It has always been an uncommon species but it seems likely that its numbers are in decline. It is unclear whether it is able to adapt to degraded habitats but it may be somewhat adaptable as it is sometimes seen beside paths and roads.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3091003 rhinoceratus

Reptiles described in 1845 Taxa named by John Edward Gray