{"id":800,"date":"2014-09-05T19:45:49","date_gmt":"2014-09-05T17:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madcham.com\/wordpress\/?p=800"},"modified":"2025-11-15T15:11:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T14:11:53","slug":"calumma-pinocchio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.madcham.de\/en\/calumma-pinocchio\/","title":{"rendered":"Calumma pinocchio"},"content":{"rendered":"
\r\n\t\tCITES quotas<\/strong>
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First description:\"IUCN<\/a><\/h4>\n

Glaw, Agne, Pr\u00f6tzel, Gehring, K\u00f6hler, Preick, Ratsoavina, Straube, Wollenberg Valero, Crottini & Vences, 2025\u00a0 \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Origin of the species name:<\/h4>\n

Frank Glaw from the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich, together with many co-authors, named the small chameleon after its striking nasal appendage, which resembles the long nose of the children’s book character Pinocchio. Pinocchio was invented in 1883 by Italian author Carlo Collodi (actually Carlo Lorenzini) and\u00a0became famous worldwide first with his children’s books, then later with the Disney film adaptation in 1940. Pinocchio is a wooden puppet who comes to life in Collodi’s stories and experiences numerous adventures. What is special about Pinocchio is his nose: when he lies, his nose grows longer and longer. Until 2025, this species was considered to be Calumma gallus. This \u201cincorrect\u201d species name was used for more than a hundred years. It was only genetic testing in 2025 that revealed that another, very similar species is actually the \u201creal\u201d Calumma gallus. Therefore, this little chameleon needed a new species name of its own.<\/p>\n

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Distribution:<\/h4>\n

Calumma pinocchio<\/em> inhabits rainforests and secondary vegetation on the central east coast of Madagascar. The animals are often found in secondary vegetation with a high proportion of ferns, preferably at the edge of rainforests. Many of the habitats they inhabit are on slopes and difficult to access. In addition, the vegetation in the habitats of Calumma pinocchio<\/em> is extremely dense, making it very difficult to find these small chameleons. We have also discovered this species at a height of two metres. Chameleons from sites near Mahavelona may represent a separate species; their status is still unclear.<\/p>\n

Appearance and size:<\/h4>\n

With a total length of around 11 cm, this species belongs to the small chameleons. The males have a long, pointed and elastic nasal appendage covered with blue, purple and green dots. Each nose is unique; no two are exactly alike. Most noses point upwards, but we have also observed \u2018drooping\u2019 noses. Normally, the animals are brown-grey, but when relaxed, the males can become almost white with light blue markings. In females, the nasal appendage is shorter, leaf-shaped and red. Pregnant females have blue dots on their heads. Otherwise, their colour is brown-beige, turning dark brown when stressed. The helmet is flat but clearly separated from the back. In Vohidrazana, the females of Calumma pinocchio<\/em> have slightly longer nasal appendages, as shown in the following two photos.<\/p>\n