Usually when we talk about animal extinction, there is no turning back. As a last resort, if the genetic material has been preserved, you can try to clone. However, there is someone who can return to the starting box, because every year he extinguishes and then rise from the ashes. Or him eggs. It’s about Laborde chameleon (Furcifer of labor), a reptile with a very interesting life cycle.
In fact, when it comes to annual extinction Laborde chameleon we should quote a lot. We can say that it is extinct, since for several months now not a single specimen has remained on the face of the Earth. During these months there are many eggs underground.
Females bury them immediately before death. By that time, the males had also died. Several months pass, during which it is impossible to find the Laborde chameleon. However, in the season November showersall of these eggs hatch at the same time, beginning a new short life cycle.
Chameleon Laborda: a short but rich life
Chameleon Laborda, endemic southwestern Madagascaran animal very susceptible to the driest seasons, but it has a sure-fire trick to counter them: cease to exist.
Its life cycle begins with November showers. At this point, all the eggs that were underground hatch almost simultaneously, releasing an entire population of small chameleons ready to grow at breakneck speed. In fact, in just two months they have already reached puberty and are ready to look for a partner to mate with.
After mating, they begin rapid aging, which ends with their death around the end of life. March Showers. Females die soon after males as they rush to live out their last days to keep their eggs safe. In total, both live approximately 4-5 months. Some exceptional cases reach 6, but usually do not go further than this. This is why the Laborde’s chameleon is said to die out every year, although logically it is not the kind of extinction that we are used to.
What is he dying from?
The cause of death of Laborde’s chameleon has intrigued scientists for many years. How could it happen that all individuals in a population died simultaneously?
There was a suspicion that they might enter a period immunoaging. That is, your immune system it gradually weakens until any infection can lead to death. To test whether this is true, in 2019 a group of researchers from Germany analyzed the levels of parasites in the blood of several chameleons of this species at different points in their life cycle.
If the immunosenescence hypothesis is correct, it would make sense that they would have more and more parasites in their blood since they wouldn’t have as many defense mechanisms to fight them off. So it was. As their life cycle progressed, the number of parasites increased. In addition, levels were higher in men, who die earlier than women. It has even been observed that chameleons in captivity, in a stable climate, have fewer parasites, therefore everything fits.
Impact of climate change on the Laborde chameleon
We have seen that the life cycle of the Laborde chameleon is largely dependent on humidity. They are born at the beginning of the rainy season and die when it ends. This is their way of avoiding dry seasons. But what happens if changing of the climate bring much longer dry seasons?
Without a doubt, this would be a big problem, since a group of scientists from Bangor University. They noticed that these animals can lengthen or shorten their life cycle depending on the climate. In the wettest years live a little longer, and in drier conditions they reduce life expectancy. This is surprising, but also alarming.
And, as these scientists claim in a statement from their university, given the synchronicity of their birth and death, if there is a year abrupt climate changes, entire populations may be lost. Chameleon Laborda is already listed as vulnerable on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is truly endangered. But the worst part is that, given its life cycle, this extinction could happen suddenly, with almost no warning. Another consequence of climate change. We will continue to know many, and for sure some are impossible to imagine.
Source: Hiper Textual
