四海游龍的塗鴉板

The Oustalet's Chameleon is the longest one of chameleons, SVL up to 28.4 cm and TL up to 68.5 cm. Although we can find the endemic species thoughout the big island of Madagascar, but still, it's easier to find them in the western arid area. The male Oustalet's chameleon in this picture was the first herp of my Madagascar trip, also, it's the first "dragon" for my keynote of this trip: "Dragoning". Quite memorable, isn't it? The reasons why chameleons change color are as below: for camouflage, looks stronger, expressed emotions and body-temperature regulation. Notice the color of the Oustalet's chameleon in this picture, it's close to white. It's already noon when I saw him, he was trying to cross the asphalt road (it's so hot on the road!). The chameleon was tried to slow down the speed of rising body-temperature, so he turned the color of surface into near-white color. I brought him into a shade of a tree after we finished photographing. He looked more comfortable under the tree... What a nice meeting with a Oustalet's chameleon! What a cute white dragon!
奧力士變色龍 (Furcifer oustaleti) 全長最多可以到近70公分 (吻肛長約30公分)，是世界最長的變色龍。馬島特有的奧力士變色龍雖然整個島都有紀錄，但是仍以西半部較乾燥的地區最為常見。圖中這隻公的奧力士變色龍是我抵達馬達加斯加之後第一隻野外遇到的兩棲爬蟲類！正巧呼應了我本次旅程的主軸"尋龍"，真是太巧了！值得紀念的第一隻變色龍！變色龍改變體色的因素主要有融入環境、氣勢、情緒以及調節體溫。融入環境的功用當然就是讓敵人找不到以保命；所謂的"氣勢"就是在公的變色龍打架時，雙方的體色都會盡可能的變的鮮豔誇張；然後"情緒"就是例如打輸之後的公變色龍體色就會變得黯淡，或者被人抓到的變色龍通常也會變黑一些，意思差不多；調節體溫的話就是像照片中的這隻奧力士變色龍，我發現牠的時間是在近中午，牠獨自一龍正在過柏油馬路 (很燙！)。我很興奮的請司機 (就是William，不過那時才第一天，還不熟) 停車之後跑回去把牠撿起來送到路邊之後拍了幾張照片。牠體色幾乎是白色的，這隻"白龍"就是因為當時實在太熱了，要阻止體溫繼續上升就是把顏色盡量轉淡，就變成這樣囉 (反過來說，想要快速升溫就是變黑一點)！拍完照，我們送牠到一處樹蔭下，看牠停在陰涼處不走就知道牠剛剛肯定是熱到快爆炸了！令人懷念的可愛小白龍~