B.antakarana inhabits the grass tufts and rain forest floor. Similar to B. thieli, both
B.antakarana and B.thieli often have 11 pairs of dorsolateral
"spines," not counting the pointed projections of the pelvic shield. B.antakarana is
much larger than thieli. B.thieli has a more rounded body. B.antakarana is more vertically compressed and has typically thin "lines" along the sides of the body. B.thieli comes from
eastern central Madagascar and B.antakarana from the Mtge. d'Ambre in the extreme north. Many B.thieli are in the trade but few B.antakarana are seen.
Contributed by Olaf Pronk
References
Klaver, C. & W. Boehme. 1997.
Chamaeleonidae.
Das Tierreich, 112: i-xiv' 1 - 85. Verlag Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin, New York.
Necas, P. 1999. Chameleons: Nature's Hidden Jewels. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, FL.
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