Brookesia thieli

CITES quotas
2011-13 each 100 specimens, 2014-16 each 500 specimens, 2017 for the first time 1000 animals, 2018-2023 each 500 specimens for legal export

First description:

Brygoo & Domergue, 1969

Origin of the species’ name:

Édouard-Raoul Brygoo (later working at the Natural History Museum in Paris, France) and Charles Antoine Domergue of the then Institut Pasteur in Antananarivo, Madagascar, named the species after the botanist Jean Thiel. Thiel had found most of the animals of the species in 1968 and brought them to Antananarivo.

Brookesia thieli

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Andasibe: -18.913432, 48.414688

Fierenana: -17.928400, 48.257200

Moramanga: -18.947100, 48.230400

Anjozorobe: -18.398000, 47.882400

Ranomafana: -21.217701, 47.427979

Vohidrazana: -18.988928, 48.507729

Ambohiboatavo: -17.810802, 48.378983

Ambohitantely: -18.169340, 47.298889

Distribution:

Brookesia thieli is found in central-eastern Madagascar in the areas of Moramanga, Andasibe, Vohimana, and Anjozorobe. There is also a further population higher up in the north near Masoala. So far we have been able to find the animals in the rainforest of Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Ranomafa National Park, and Anjozorobe.

Appearance & size:

These leaf chameleons reach a maximum size of 73 mm. At the back, a row of eleven spinous processes runs on both sides, which continues over the tail. Both sexes have tubercles at the chin. The basic color of these animals are different shades of brown, most individuals have a light-colored back and darker sides and belly. The projection above the nose is well developed.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Average temperature	23	24	23	23	22	19	19	19	20	21	22	23
Minimum temperature	20	20	20	19	18	15	15	15	15	16	18	19
Maximum temperature	27	27	27	27	25	23	23	23	24	25	26	27
Rain days	27	24	26	19	17	18	21	20	15	16	20	25

We have collected the data given above over several years with thermometers and hygrometers at the finding places of the chameleons. "Average temperature" means that values of a whole month have been calculated to one average value per month. For example all measured minimum temperature values of February have been calculated to one average minimum temperature for February. In plain language, this means single peak values of a day may be a little higher or lower than the average minimum and maximum temperatures. It is possible that a location has an average maximum temperature of 29°C, but one day during that month it had 33°C or even 35°C there.

Three examples of a daily course of temperatures in Andasibe in the rainy season can be found below. Both were recorded with data loggers in 2023.

The region around Andasibe with the associated forests of Mantadia, Mitsinjo and Analamazaotra lie in the eastern highlands of Madagascar at altitudes between 900 and 1250 m above sea level. During the day, the temperature may sometimes exceed 25°C, but the thermometer rarely climbs above 30°C, or only in sunspots. At night, temperatures plummet, especially during the dry season. 10° to 15° degrees are the rule.

Humidity in the rainforests around Andasibe is high all year round. During the rainy season it rains extensively every day, sometimes the rain lasts for days. But the dry season is not massively different either, except that it has slightly cooler temperatures overall and reaches lower temperatures at night. It still rains at least every other day. Rain, high humidity and a drop in temperature at night are therefore the central points of Andasibe's climate. In 2023, we measured relative humidity with data loggers on different days in Andasibe in the rainy season, the data can be found below.

Tageszeit = day time, Sonne = sun, Halbschatten = half shade, Schatten = shade

We have measured UVB data with a Solarmeter 6.5 in spring (March, April) at the peak of activity of chameleons in Madagascar. We always measured the values that a chameleon could maximally reach in its habitat.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Morning	23,2	23,4	22,0	22,1	20,5	16,0	16,3	16,5	17,4	16,7	21,2	-
Midday	25,4	25,3	24,5	22,5	20,2	16,5	16,3	17,7	18,3	18,0	21,4	-
Evening	25,5	25,1	25,0	25,3	20,8	17,2	16,1	17,0	19,6	23,0	22,0	-

Between 21 March 2018 and 05 February 2019, we measured ground temperatures in the rainforest of Andasibe and surrounding areas (Analamazaotra, Andasibe, V.O.I.M.M.A. and Mitsinjo) about every other day - the table is the result of these measurements. Only in December no measurements were taken. detailed review can be found here. In total, we took 418 soil temperature measurements and measured an estimated 70 different locations in Andasibe and the surrounding area at a depth of 20 cm.

In 2023, in addition to other climate data, we also measured the air pressure at the locations we visited in Madagascar. The following data is from different days during the rainy season in Andasibe. On the X-axis is the time of day or night. In Madagascar, the day begins around 6 am, and night falls at 6 pm. The Y-axis shows the atmospheric pressure in hPa.

Habitat:

The following photos show extracts from the habitat of Brookesia thieli in Andasibe and finding sites in Anjozorobe. The species hides well in the undergrowth, which consists of many small plants, loose branches, and few fallen tree trunks. The animals live on the thick layer of leaves and on very low branches and branches of bushes. In Anjozorobe, Brookesia thieli lives mainly in microhabitats heavily overgrown with ferns.

Here are some 360° pictures from Anjozorobe-Angavo. With the mouse, you can rotate in all directions. If you click on the Theta logo, the pictures open in an enlarged view in a separate window. There is also the possibility to execute the images in full-screen mode. Have fun watching it!

Regenwald im Schutzgebiet Anjozorobe-Angavo, Region Analamanga, zentrales Hochland, Madagaskar, April 2018 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Regenwald neben Reisfeldern im Schutzgebiet Anjozorobe-Angavo, Region Analamanga, zentrales Hochland, Madagaskar, April 2018 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Regenwald im Schutzgebiet Anjozorobe-Angavo, Region Analamanga, zentrales Hochland, Madagaskar, April 2018 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA