Wildlife
Labord's chameleon has a unique and extreme 'live fast, die young' life cycle whose post-hatching lifespan of 4-5 months is the shortest of any tetrapod. The extraordinary life of this colourful and flamboyant chameleon begins when eggs hatch during the November rains. The young reach adulthood rapidly, in only two months, and enter a brief breeding season. Then, remarkably, the entire population starts to die off and, by the time the dry season arrives, the entire species exists only as eggs buried underground - an extreme adaptation to the excessively dry conditions of western Madagascar.
Did you know?
Once out of the egg, a Labord's chameleon lives for a mere five months, the shortest lifespan recorded for a tetrapod.
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Live fast, die young
The shortest land vertebrate life cycle compels Labord's chameleon to eat everything in front of him.
The shortest land vertebrate life cycle compels Labord's chameleon to eat everything in front of him.
No time to lose
A brief lifespan gives Labord's chameleons only one chance to mate.
A brief lifespan gives Labord's chameleons only one chance to mate.
The Labord's chameleon can be found in a number of locations including: Madagascar. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Labord's chameleon distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Tropical dry forestDiscover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Vulnerable
Year assessed: 1996
Classified by: IUCN 2.3
Labord's chameleon (Furcifer labordi) is a species of chameleon endemic to Madagascar. Like other Furcifer species (F. antimena, F. lateralis), it has an obligate year-long lifecycle. It lives for only about 4 to 5 months making it the shortest lifespan ever recorded for a four legged vertebrate., In their natural habitat, eggs hatch with the first rains in November, the growth is rapid, and adulthood is reached by January, at which time they breed. By later February or early March, females have deposited the eggs which will hatch next year, and the entire population dies until the next hatching.
In captivity, eggs of F. labordi have hatched after 4 months of incubation at 26 °C (79 °F). Juveniles grow very rapidly, reaching adulthood after 3 months. Females that were properly fed grew with eggs and a vivid coloration, whereas females that were fed a less caloric diet grew thinner and only showed a green coloration.
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Camouflage
Adapted to climbing
Dry tolerant
Burrower
Egg layer
Semelparous
Sexual dimorphism
Heat tolerant