Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Lesser chameleon (Furcifer minor), recorded as Endangered
Lesser chameleon (Furcifer minor). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Lesser chameleon

Furcifer minor

Lesser chameleon is a chameleon in the family Chamaeleonidae — Furcifer minor, recorded as Endangered and tied to Madagascar.

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

The chameleon

Lesser chameleon is a chameleon in the family Chamaeleonidae — Furcifer minor.

Range and habitat

The lesser chameleon mainly inhabits the arboreal habitat of tapia forest, dominated by the Uapaca bojeri tree, as well as other endemic habitats such as humid montane habitats between the ranges of 1,000 and 1,650 metres above sea level in the region of Madagascar. The habitat of the species has been fragmented by large swathes of unsuitable savanna grassland. It is endemic to Madagascar.

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

Breeding

Once the females have completed the courtship and mating process they will display a new coloration scheme and act extremely aggressively towards males. Gestation requires 2 to 3 months and the chameleon may die during its first egg laying experience due to egg binding.

In crisis

It is threatened by habitat loss as a result of quartz and tourmaline mining, logging as well as the clearing of its habitat through slash-and-burn techniques for subsistence agriculture. There is evidence that collection of the species still occurs in the Itremo region, and although its impact has yet to be studied it is estimated that it is unlikely to be a major threat to populations due to the process being highly localised and in small quantities.

Lesser chameleon is 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 Lesser chameleon, Wikidata item Q1654651. 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 Belalanda chameleon (Furcifer belalandaensis), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Belalanda chameleon

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

Two-banded chameleon

Furcifer balteatus
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 Lesser chameleon?
Lesser chameleon is a chameleon in the family Chamaeleonidae — Furcifer minor.
What is the conservation status of Lesser chameleon?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Furcifer minor. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Lesser chameleon live?
The lesser chameleon mainly inhabits the arboreal habitat of tapia forest, dominated by the Uapaca bojeri tree, as well as other endemic habitats such as humid montane habitats between the ranges of 1,000 and 1,650 metres above sea level in the region of Madagascar.
Why is Lesser chameleon in crisis?
There is evidence that collection of the species still occurs in the Itremo region, and although its impact has yet to be studied it is estimated that it is unlikely to be a major threat to populations due to the process being highly localised and in small quantities.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Furcifer minor?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Lesser chameleon a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.