Giant Carpet Chameleon or Furcifer Major

Furcifer Major or Giant Carpet Chameleon is or was a subspecies of Furcifer lateralis (IUCN). It was recognized as a true species in 2012. It shares many traits of furcifer lateralis including the bright colors, its ability to change said colors as well as the white stripe on the side of the body. Aside from the size, it has a larger head casque (Reptile Database). Males can grow larger and live longer (2-5 years) than females.

Furcifer Major found on the island of Madagascar mostly in the arid south (iNaturalist) among its smaller cousins Furcifer lateralis lateralis. It has a very wide distribution of over 130,000 sq.km. It is one of the most flexible species in terms of habitat. They can be found anywhere at altitudes of 600 to 1200 meters above sea level where there is adequate shade and humidity and access to direct sunlight.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists Furcifer major 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 with an annual export quota of 2000 individuals. Due to the recent reclassification, that number does not differentiate between furcifer lateralis and furcifer major.

References:
1) IUCN Redlist – http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/42696174/0
2) iNaturalist.org – http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/chameleons-of-madagascar/assessments/608-furcifer-major
3) Reptile Database – http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Furcifer&species=major
4) Terrarium.pl – http://www.terrarium.pl/t/species/_/furcifer-major-r383

 

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