Exotic Chameleon Spends Most of its Life as an Egg

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The Malagasy chameleon F. labordi has the shortest lifespan and most rapid growth rate of any known four-legged animal and is also the only such species to spend the majority of its life as an egg. Credit: Chris Raxworthy AMNH.
The Malagasy chameleon F. labordi has the shortest lifespan and most rapid growth rate of any known four-legged animal, and is also the only such species to spend the majority of its life as an egg. Credit: Chris Raxworthy, AMNH.
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered a chameleon species that spends a good two-thirds of its life inside an egg: Furcifer labordi lives about 8-9 months as an embryo, and has a post-hatching lifespan of just 4-5 months. As far as the scientists know, this strange life history is unique among all land vertebrates, and may help researchers better understand how certain ecological and hormonal factors influence life history evolution.


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