Picture of the day

The panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) is a species of lizard found in tropical forests in the eastern and northern parts of Madagascar. Like all chameleons, the species exhibits a specialized arrangement of toes in which the digits are fused into a group of two and a group of three. On the forelimbs, there are two toes on the outer side of each foot and three on the inside, with the arrangement reversed on the hind legs. Their specialized feet allow them a tight grip on narrow branches, and their sharp claws give them traction when climbing on bark. This male panther chameleon was photographed on the island of Nosy Be, off the northwestern coast of Madagascar.Photograph credit: Charles James Sharp