July 5, 2004
"Close Encounters of the Chameleon Kind"
by Dave Kiely

For many people, Madagascar's most alluring animals are the lemurs. But although those furry little fellows are undoubtedly ever so cute, I have to admit to preferring the reptiles. The island is home to all kinds of scaly creatures, from crocodiles to snakes, but its biggest contribution to the reptile world is the unparalleled array of chameleons that are found here. And I couldn't wait to see one in the flesh.

My wish came true during the fourth day of my participation on the project. How our guide Alain saw it, I shall never know, as all that were visible were the claws clenched around a branch of the same colour. But I was certainly glad that he did, and that he tempted it down for us to see properly. It was a fine example of a Oustalet's Chameleon, one of the very largest of the country's 60+ species, and measured around 18 inches in length.

Although not as brightly coloured as some other types of chameleon, or even the female of the species, I nevertheless found him to be quite adorable. And the large eyes mounted on protruding cones that could swivel and look in opposite directions, which are so typical of such reptiles, were fascinating to behold.

However, it would seem that he did not quite approve of what he saw with his eyes quite as much as I did! Belying the sluggish swaying movements that it had previously shown, the chameleon let out a hiss and swept around at great speed, attaching himself to my finger with a strong bite. But as I sterilised my small 'war wound' and my assailant scaled a nearby thorny tree in order to escape our attentions shortly afterwards, I had already forgiven him and hope to see many more soon.