Madagascar chameleon spends most of its life as egg

A bizarre species of chameleon that spends most of its short life as an egg has been discovered by conservationists in Madagascar.

The unusual reptile, known as Labord’s chameleon, develops inside an egg for up to nine months, but after hatching lives only a few months longer, during which it rapidly matures, mates and dies.

Because the chameleons hatch at the same time, the population is the same age, apart from a very brief period when adults are still alive after laying their eggs.

Kristopher Karsten, a zoologist at Oklahoma State University, working with scientists in Madagascar and at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, discovered the reptile’s unusual lifestyle during field studies over five seasons in the arid south west of the island.

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Tagged as: American Museum of Natural History, Animals, Chameleons, Conservation, Labord's Chameleon, Madagascar, New Species, New York, Oklahoma State University, Reptiles & Amphibians, Zoology