The carpet chameleon scientifically known as furcifer lateralis is an attractive and common chameleon species. It’s brightly colored akin to a carpet where it gets its name. It’s also known as the while-lined chameleon from the noticeable white stripe on each side of the body from head to tail. They also have several ocelli or circle patterns along the white stripe (Chameleon News). Furcifer lateralis is another example of a true chameleon because they can change color depending on their mood and environment and females can display more vibrant colors when gravid (Chameleon News). The base color for males is generally green (Animal Diversity Web). Carpet chameleons can grow from 17 to 25 centimeters in length. Carpet chameleons reach adulthood within the first three months and can live for up to three years.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists furcifer lateralis as a species of least concern (LC) as the species population is very stable. It is one of the species very much visible in the pet trade and one of the legally exported species from the island. Species from the wild however have a higher mortality rate from ones that are bred in captivity.
References:
1) Chameleons Online – http://www.chameleonnews.com/06MayStanford.html
2) Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpet_chameleon
3) Animal Diversity Web – http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Furcifer_lateralis/
4) IUCN Redlist – http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/42696174/0
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