Hidden Treasures: The Elusive Calumma furcifer of Madagascar's Vanishing Highlands

The specific epithet "furcifer" derives from Latin. The root "furca" translates to "fork" and the suffix "-fer" is derived from the Latin verb "ferre," which means "to carry" or "to bear." Therefore, the term "furcifer" can be interpreted as "fork-bearer" and stays as a noun in apposition. It refers to the chameleon's distinctive physical feature: the unique forked rostral appendage in males.

It also lacks medial gular crest and instead, it has a double paramesial u-shaped skin fold, otherwise found only in the continental Trioceros affinis.

With a total length of about 15 centimeters, they are classified as small to medium-sized chameleons. Their scales are primarily grass green, accented by a faint pale lateral stripe featuring two prominent white spots. The flat casque seamlessly merges into their dorsal crest with widely spaced conical scales that does not extend to the tail.

Calumma furcifer is primarily found in the eastern region of Madagascar's central highlands, specifically around 25 kilometers east of Andasibe National Park in Vohidrazana. This area has experienced significant deforestation, with the primary forest largely burned and only a few small patches of regrowth featuring secondary vegetation. These chameleons inhabit steep, remote riverbank areas, likely due to their lower attractiveness for firewood collection and grazing, which has helped preserve these locations as refuges. However, this remaining habitat is under severe threat from slash-and-burn agriculture and is at risk of being completely lost in the coming years.

The species is quite elusive, making it difficult to locate. A second population is present nearby in the Vohimana Reserve, but it appears to be very limited and rarely sighted.

all unique photos courtesy Patrick Andriamaha