Furcifer timoni: Check out this GORGEOUS Newly Discovered Species of Chameleon!

 

Habitat: Madagascar
Status: Near Threatened

Endemic to the Montagne d’Ambre National Park near the northern tip of Madagascar Furcifer timoni. It was only just recently discovered back in 2009 by researchers Glaw, Köhler and Vences. It is only one of 11 new species of chameleon described since 1999.

Both males and females are bright green with blue spots and have an orange-yellowish underside but females can be identified (other than by lifting up their skirts!!… hah… Jurassic Park joke…) by the vivid red patch of skin dotted with blue spots on their heads:

Males, on the other hand, are distinguished from the lack of red but still have those pretty spots, though these are more purple than blue:

Furcifer timoni‘s range extends to 385 square kilometers (149 square miles) at a height of between 750 and 900 meters (2,460 and 3,000 feet) above sea level. What an incredible scaly discovery!