A brightly coloured chameleon (a female Furcifer oustaleti) in Isalo National Park. Situated in cattle-owning Bara country of Southern Madagascar, Isalo National Park is deservedly popular for its sculptured canyons, natural rock pools, rare endemic plants and beautiful lemurs. Madagascar is synonymous with these magnificent old world reptiles. Two-thirds of all known species are native to the island, the fourth largest in the world. A chameleon's ability to change colour and swivel its eyes 180 degrees makes it a reptile of considerable fascination. Malagasy people will only point to a chameleon with a knuckle. If they inadvertently use an outstretched finger, they must blow on it afterwards.
