Jackson Chameleons
Can you see him... the Jackson? Sure, it's easy up close, but not so easy unless you know it's there.
These cute reptiles have become established on Maui, mostly in the upcountry area between Makawao and Kula. They like the cooler elevations and reproduce in the trees and bushes of neighborhood gardens. This one is a male, with the horns on the front of his head. They have the cutest little hands and feet that grip the branches while their eyes look in two different directions. Slow moving and careful, they're really hard to see.
Here's the Jackson again.
Males can get to be about 12-13 inches long with tail (which is prehensile by the way). Females are smaller and don't have the horns. The babies are small - just a couple of inches! The tonque is incredible... it shoots out and zaps flies in mid air! You have to see it to believe it.
Jackson Chameleons are considered an invasive species here on Maui, as they were introduced, and are now thriving. It can wreak havoc on the delicate ecosystem when a new species comes along and has no natural predator. It's forbidden to transport them between islands, but they are quite popular with kids of all ages, and get carried around all over the place.
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Wonderful shots Georgina - we certainly don't have chameleons in Canada! I wonder since they're considered invasive, if they are controlled in any way? I suppose they just eat and multiply and eat......
Frank - yes the kids love to hunt them and sell them. I think you can still buy them in the pet store too.
Nothing is really done about them, except to make people aware not to take them interisland etc. We have some much worse invasive species to worry about and these guys seem pretty harmless. They eat bugs, and that's a good thing. I don't know if they are displacing anything else, as there weren't any tree dwelling lizards here to begin with. I guess they are low impact.