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About half the species of chameleons occur in Madagascar today. The island has therefore been suggested to be the center from where they likely dispersed via oceanic dispersal to other parts including mainland Africa. Molecular evidence however suggests the opposite; that chameleons might very likely have originated in Africa rather than in Madagascar. Direct evidence, in form of fossils is unfortunately scant.
KNM-RU 18340, from Rusinga Island (Kenya), represents one of the oldest and the only known complete early Miocene (about 18 milion years ago) chameleon skull. The specimen represents a new species, Calumma benovskyi of the modern genus Calumma. All living species of this genus are only found in Madagascar. The new species suggests that Calumma lineage was present in Africa at a time when oceanic currents supported eastward dispersal (from Africa to Madagascar), and not the other way around. This challenges the long-held view that chameleons originated on Madagascar and dispersed over water to Africa, and provide a first strong evidence for an African origin for some Malagasy lineages.
For more info, visit; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-57014-5
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