PAIR OF VEILED CHAMELEONS TURNED IN TO DLNR ON MAUI
FIRST SUCH FIND REPORTED FOR MAKAWAO

Two adult veiled chameleons, a male and a female, were turned in on March 27 to Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Forestry and Wildlife by a Makawao resident. This is the most recent report of live veiled chameleons in the state, and officials are concerned that this new species, Chamaeleo calyptratus may have become established in the islands. Veiled chameleons are native to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Also turned in to DLNR on March 27 by a Wailuku resident was a poison dart (or arrow) frog, the first such animal to be actually located on Maui after several years of reported sightings. A dead veiled chameleon was turned into DLNR last week, that was found in a rural area of west Maui.

The chameleons are considered injurious alien species in Hawai'i because they are not native to the islands, have no natural predators here, and because of their large size and ability to tolerate living in regions from low, dry to very wet montane areas, could potentially prey upon quantities of native birds and native insects in many of Hawai'i's forests. State law prohibits importing or transporting within the state of chameleons, lizards or snakes.

Veiled chameleons can grow up to about 18-24 inches long, may be strikingly colored and spotted or banded, and instead of horns, both sexes have a large casque, which is a bony shark fin-like shield, on their head. Colors are very variable and can change, from white to black, gray, brown, green, blue, orange, red, and yellow, but they usually have obvious transverse stripes.

Fern Duvall, DLNR wildlife biologist on Maui, said this latest discovery is the latest showy alien "pet" reptile found on Maui in recent years. DLNR and Dept. of Agriculture officials have conducted intensive searches of the Makawao area for any additional chameleons that might still be at large.

The find of a live poison dart frog, Dendrobates auratus, on Maui is the first to be established on another island besides O'ahu. It has been established on O'ahu since 1932 when it was released for biocontrol purposes. Adults may reach 2 inches in size, and have a brilliant green and black skin. Poison arrow frogs like wet areas, live on the ground under leaf litter or in bromeliads,and tend to come out after a rain. They come out during the daytime, and are found mainly in Manoa and a few windward valleys. Due to their limited range, they are not considered a threat at present to native wildlife on this island.

Persons possessing illegal animals, such as reptiles and snakes, are subject to stiff penalties, including fines of up to $200,000 and up to three years in jail. Individuals with illegal pets are encouraged to turn them in under the Department of Agriculture's Amnesty Program, which provides immunity from prosecution. Anyone with information or knowledge of illegal animals in Hawai'i is asked to call the agriculture department's PEST HOTLINE at 586-PEST(7378). Or call these island plant quarantine offices: Hawai'i - 974-4141, Maui (including Moloka'i and Lana'i) - 871-5656, Kaua'i - 274-3069.

Or report unusual animals to the Department of Land and Natural Resources: on Maui (808) 873-3502 or 984-8100, or (808) 579-2115 (Maui Invasive Species Committee), on O'ahu, 587-0164; on Kaua'i, (808) 274-3433, and Hawai'i (808) 974-4221.

Facts about veiled chameleons - from the Maui Invasive Species Committee:
Images available online at www.veiledchameleon.com

They can live from low elevations to 12,000 feet in moderately wet and warm to wet climates. In Hawai'i they can be expected to survive in most regions, from low to high elevations and moderately dry to very wet areas.

Veiled chameleons lay eggs (unlike the Jackson's Chameleon, which bears live young) in the ground in cavities which the female digs; they lay 30-95 eggs which take about 200 days (6 and _ months) to hatch. They can lay clutches of eggs 3 times per year. Veiled chameleons can live for 4 to 8 years.

They are arboreal (tree-living) and feed primarily on insects, but also on leaves, flowers and buds (an adaptation to obtain water in dry climates), and due to their size they will also take small mammals and birds.

They pose a threat as a predator on native insects and birds and plants of Hawai'i. Veiled chameleons would be able to inhabit most areas of most islands from low to high elevation, if they should become established.

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