This beautiful chameleon lived in the tree just outside our room at the lodge.

Calumma brevicorne was the first chameleon we saw on this trip to Madagascar, and turned out to be the most common chameleon in this area. Most chameleons are easier to find at night because they tend to sleep on exposed branches and their bodies reflect light in a different way than the surrounding foliage. But these guys were so common around the entrance of Analamazaotra Reserve that we probably saw more of them during the day than at night. Their colors varied from mottled greens to plain brown. Most of the ones we came across were youngsters, like the first three pictured here. My sister Mary Sullivan took the last photo, which shows a sleeping adult.

Here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs I saw on this 2007 trip to Madagascar.

Chameleons, like some other slow-moving arboreal lizards, often try to conceal themselves by remaining on the opposite side of a narrow branch from a perceived threat.

This is the typical position of a chameleon sleeping at night. Sometimes the tail will be partially or entirely extended rather than coiled, but this position is cuter.

Here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs I saw on this 2023 trip to Madagascar.

Here in California, we have squirrels climbing across the utility lines.