Posted by:
Carlton
at Fri Jun 15 18:29:43 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Carlton ]
I'm sure Chris will chime in here, but I'll take a stab at it.
Some theorize that Madagascar/east coast of Africa was the evolutionary "birthplace" for chameleons. Chameleons have been around a long time possibly before the island drifted away from the African mainland. Chams became more specialized as they were isolated from the African mainland. As this new type of arboreal lizard developed and filled ecological niches in different habitats, they evolved into variations of the basic form. Some colors and markings or size were more successful than others depending on the habitat and the successful ones passed their genes on to future generations. Think about Oustaleti and verrucosus. Similar to panthers, but colored and more tolerant of the dry thorny forests and karsts where they are now found. It was probably not to their advantage to show bright colors in those places. For its size, Madagascar has quite a diverse range of habitats...often isolated from each other. Chams don't migrate or travel a lot, so they are more likely to separate into species. Populations of animals that are isolated tend to become more distinct over time.
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RE: Furcifer minor - Carlton, Fri Jun 15 18:29:43 2007