The Parsons Chameleon is a large species of Chameleon that is native to the isolated humid forests of Northern and Eastern Madagascar.
This species is regarded as one of the largest species of Chameleon in the world and can grow to over two feet in length.
Parsons Chameleon Taxonomy
In the Animal Kingdom, Taxonomy is used as the science and practice of classifying different species and sub-species based on their biological and genetic makeup.
Family
The Parsons Chameleon belongs to the infraorder Iguania. This is a grouping of lizards which contains species such as Iguanas, Chameleons, Agamids and Anoles.
As its name suggests, it belongs to the Chameleon family of lizards. There are over 200 different species of Chameleon lizards that are divided into 12 different genera.
The majority of Chameleons are native to Africa and Madagascar but they can also be found in the Middle East, India and parts of Southern Europe.
Some of the popular species of Chameleons include the Panther Chameleon, the Carpet Chameleon and the Pygmy Chameleon.
Genus
The genus that the Parsons Chameleon belongs to is called Calumma. The species in this genus are only found on the island of Madagascar.
At the time of writing, there 33 different recognised species that are classified under the Calumma genus.
Some of the species in this genus include the Amber Chameleon and the Blunt Nosed Chameleon.
Species
The scientific name for the Parsons Chameleon is Calumma parsonii and there are currently two recognised sub-species.
The two sub-species are the nominate sub-species Calumma parsonii parsonii and Calumma parsonii cristifer.
The species was first described in 1824 by a French naturalist named Georges Cuvier.
Parsons Chameleon Description
The Parsons Chameleon is one of the largest species of Chameleon in the world and can grow to over two feet in length. It is often considered as the heaviest Chameleon in the world.
They have a large nasal appendage that extends out from the tip of their nose which makes it easy to identify the species.
The sub-species Calumma parsonii parsonii is larger and can grow to over 60cm in length. These lizards are less colorful and lack dorsal crests.
The sub-species Calumma parsonii cristifer is smaller, growing to around 45cm in length. They have a dorsal crest and appear bluer in color.
They have many characteristics that are common among different species of Chameleon such as eyes that can rotate independently.
Another common trait is their zygodactylous feet. This consists of two toes that point forward and two toes that point backward.
The Parsons Chameleon has orange eyes and their lower and upper eyelids are joined which minimises the amount of light that their pupils are exposed to.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Parsons Chameleon is native to the isolated humid forests of Northern and Eastern Madagascar.
Madagascar is an island located off the South-Eastern Coast of Africa. It is in the Indian Ocean, around 400km off the coast of Mozambique.
These lizards can be found along the Eastern Coast of Madagascar. However, their range doesn’t not extend into the Southern parts of the island.
Their range extends from the Sava region in the North to the Vatovavy-Fitovinany region in Central Eastern Madagascar.
Their primary Habitat consists of humid mountainous forests where they can be found at elevations over 2,000m.
Parsons Chameleon Behaviour
The Parsons Chameleon is an arboreal species that spends most of its time off the ground. In fact, this species is very rarely ever seen on the forest floor.
Their zygodactylous feet are designed to allow the lizard to walk seamlessly along small branches. It also has a prehensile tail which acts like a fifth limb.
They are a passive species that will lie around for most of the day. When monitored for large periods of time, they don’t seem to do very much.
They will usually lay on a branch and bask in the sun. When they are warm enough, they will slowly move to a more shaded spot on the same tree to cool down.
They will typically repeat this process throughout the day before moving to a place to sleep after the sun goes down. This is usually on the same tree they spent their day on.
