I thought this was a good news to share with all: a rare species of chameleon last seen 100 years ago (last seen in 1913) in Madagascar has been spotted again. Like I have said before, I do not agree with people using words like “re-discovered,” as if the chameleon did not exist before then, even though it was probably just roaming far from human’s eyes, or rather from foreign eyes; like Columbus discovering a continent which already existed. Excerpts are from an article on the Guardian.

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Scientists have found an elusive chameleon species that was last spotted in Madagascar 100 years ago.

Researchers from Madagascar and Germany said on Friday they had discovered several living specimens of Voeltzkow’s chameleon during an expedition to the north-west of the African island nation.

In a report published in the journal Salamandra, the team, led by scientists from the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology (ZSM), said genetic analysis determined that the species was closely related to Labord’s chameleon.

Researchers believe that both reptiles only live during the rainy season – hatching from eggs, growing rapidly, sparring with rivals, mating and then dying during a few short months.

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Researchers said the female of the species, which had never previously been documented, displayed particularly colourful patterns during pregnancy, when encountering males and when stressed.