We studied an established population of Furcifer oustaleti (Oustalet's Chameleon) in southeastern Florida to understand aspects of reproductive biology in this nonnative species. Reproduction of Oustalet's Chameleon had not been documented in the field in Florida, and limited information is available about its reproduction in its native range. We conducted surveys from July 2011 to October 2012 in the Persea americana (Avocado) grove where this species was introduced in Miami-Dade County, FL. During these surveys, we removed more than 430 chameleons. We encountered 23 gravid females from June to October. Mean clutch size was 42.3 eggs, and we recorded a new maximum clutch size of 72 eggs. Utilizing radio-telemetry, we were able to track a gravid female to a nest cavity, and herein describe the first Oustalet's Chameleon nest in Florida. Our findings suggest that management for eradication of the species should include ongoing surveys, with removal efforts intensified from June to October, when females are known to be gravid.
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1 December 2016
Observations on Nesting and Clutch Size in Furcifer oustaleti (Oustalet's Chameleon) in South Florida
Dustin Smith,
Joy Vinci,
Christopher V. Anderson,
Jennifer Ketterlin Eckles,
Frank Ridgley,
Frank J. Mazzotti
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Southeastern Naturalist
Vol. 15 • No. sp8
December 2016
Vol. 15 • No. sp8
December 2016