Greece: Peloponnese: African Chameleon population confirmed in Strofylia Forest

The existence of an African chameleon population Chamaeleo africanus was recently confirmed on a beach in northwestern Peloponnese within the Lamia and Strofylia Forest protected area (GR2320001). It is sub-Saharan African species, whose natural distribution extends along the Nile, up to its Delta. The only population in Europe was that of the Gialova Lagoon of Pylos, Messinia, discovered in 1997. In 2014, three newborn individuals were recorded on another beach in northwestern Peloponnese and in early May of this year, during a field trip by Biology students of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, two more newborns were spotted. Hopefully the announcement will not attract the attention of illegal pet traders. Details