Oustalet's Giant Chameleon

Oustalet's Giant Chameleon

Furcifer oustaleti

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely
at Ankarafantsika National Park

In 3 days >90%

108 Verified sightings at Ankarafantsika National Park From 2019 to 2026
108 In 1 park
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Oustalet's Giant Chameleon

The Malagasy giant chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti), also known commonly as Oustalet's chameleon, is a large species of chameleon which is native throughout Madagascar, but has also been introduced near Nairobi in Kenya (though its current status there is unclear) and in Miami-Dade County in the United States. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, even among degraded vegetation within villages, but is relatively rare in the interior of primary forest.

Furcifer oustaleti is endemic to Madagascar and is found throughout the island. It inhabits a very wide range of habitats including dry deciduous forest, humid evergreen forest, montane savanna, degraded forests, agricultural areas and even urban settings. It is seldom found deep in the forest interior, preferring the forest edges instead.

With a maximum total length (tail included) of 68.5 cm (27 in), Furcifer oustaleti is generally considered the world's largest species of chameleon by this measurement. Exceptionally large Calumma parsonii (Parson's chameleon) and Trioceros melleri (Meller's chameleon) have been claimed to reach even greater lengths, but this remains unverified. F. oustaleti... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ankarafantsika National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~90%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Antananarivo 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~80%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Prague Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
2 Paris Zoological Park 🇫🇷 France In captivity
3 Aquarium du palais de la Porte Dorée 🇫🇷 France In captivity
4 Warsaw Zoo 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity
5 Lemurs Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar In captivity
6 Mandraka Reptile Farm 🇲🇬 Madagascar In captivity
7 Croc Farm Ivato 🇲🇬 Madagascar In captivity
8 herpetarium warszawskiego ZOO 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity
9 Rákosův pavilon 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
10 Velemlokárium 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
11 akwarium warszawskiego ZOO 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity
12 hipopotamiarnia i akwarium morskie warszawskiego ZOO 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity

Closest Relatives at Ankarafantsika National Park

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Oustalet's Giant Chameleon in Ankarafantsika National Park?

Very likely

About 90% of wildlife watchers report an Oustalet's Giant Chameleon sighting in Ankarafantsika National Park on a given day, based on 108 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 20 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Oustalet's Giant Chameleon in Ankarafantsika National Park?

April and July–December

In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report an Oustalet's Giant Chameleon in Ankarafantsika National Park on a given day, against about 40% in May, the lowest month. February and March have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see an Oustalet's Giant Chameleon?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Oustalet's Giant Chameleon sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see an Oustalet's Giant Chameleon?

Only Ankarafantsika National Park, in our data

Ankarafantsika National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Oustalet's Giant Chameleon sightings: about 90% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the Oustalet's Giant Chameleon sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Oustalet's Giant Chameleon is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Ankarafantsika National Park (108 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Ankarafantsika National Park