Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Belalanda chameleon (Furcifer belalandaensis), recorded as Critically Endangered
Belalanda chameleon (Furcifer belalandaensis). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Belalanda chameleon

Furcifer belalandaensis

Belalanda chameleon is a chameleon that is endemic to Madagascar.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Furcifer belalandaensis
Recorded from
Madagascar
Taxonomy
Squamata · Chamaeleonidae · Furcifer

Appearance

The Belalanda chameleon is green in colour.

It was identified and described by Édouard-Raoul Brygoo and Charles Domergue in 1970.

Range and habitat

Belalanda chameleon is endemic to Belalanda, a town and rural commune in Toliara II District, Atsimo-Andrefana, south-west Madagascar. It has an extremely small range, being restricted to an area of 4 square kilometres (1+1⁄2 square miles). Its original habitat was gallery forest but this has all been cleared and it is now found in the canopies of the non-indigenous trees that have been planted and in the few remaining mature trees.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Habits

A chameleon rocks, aims, and shoots the tongue. Many dwarf species live in low vegetation or leaf litter, not only in high canopy.

In crisis

The International Union for Conservation of Nature rated this species as Critically Endangered on their Red List of Threatened Species. The World Wide Fund for Nature is trying to save this species from extinction.

Belalanda chameleon is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Belalanda chameleon, Wikidata item Q3011815. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Two-banded chameleon (Furcifer balteatus), recorded as EndangeredEN

Two-banded chameleon

Furcifer balteatus
Photograph of Lesser chameleon (Furcifer minor), recorded as EndangeredEN

Lesser chameleon

Furcifer minor
Photograph of Furcifer nicosiai (Furcifer nicosiai), recorded as EndangeredEN

Furcifer nicosiai

Furcifer nicosiai
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus

Quick answers

What is Belalanda chameleon?
Belalanda chameleon is a chameleon in the family Chamaeleonidae — Furcifer belalandaensis.
What is the conservation status of Belalanda chameleon?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Furcifer belalandaensis. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Belalanda chameleon live?
Its original habitat was gallery forest but this has all been cleared and it is now found in the canopies of the non-indigenous trees that have been planted and in the few remaining mature trees.
Why is Belalanda chameleon in crisis?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature rated this species as Critically Endangered on their Red List of Threatened Species.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Furcifer belalandaensis?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Belalanda chameleon a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.