Usambara Mountains - Climate Info

For those interested in learning more about the Usambara Mountains and the weather here... Forest Conservation in the East Usambara Mountains Tanzania This book is full of good information and online too!

I've been looking long and hard for more data concerning temperatures, rainfall, and geography of the mountains here. There are numerous species that seem to suffer from overcollection in these mountains most notably Trioceros Deremensis, Kinyongia Multituberculata and Matschiei. Hope this is helpful to others!

great post Norton! when i get the time and want to relax i will deffinately be printing out and trying my best to read it! lol. as a B.F Multi owner, i actually thought of this yesterday. my best bet was going to be to check average weekly weather and try to interpret that in my husbandry. but if i understand correctly, these species are suffering from what again? weather there or mishaps in husbandry?

There are just a lot of imports coming from these forests and not a good survival rate once they have reached the end consumer.

This book shows some good data on rainfall and temps allowing us keepers a better understanding of what we should be shooting for in captivity.

Good post, but believe me one thing: The average chameleon keeper hasnt even read a book about chameleons. So why read something about their habitat/climate etc

Chad,

You couldn't have had better timing... check your PM.

Luis

Nice work chad.

Hi
Thanks for this link!

(just one small thing: Haven't read the book already, but due to the book's title: Kinyongia multituberculata is from the huge West-Usambara area, chameleons from the smaller East Usambara Mts are vosseleri and matschiei )

MrCus said:

(just one small thing: Haven't read the book already, but due to the book's title: Kinyongia multituberculata is from the huge West-Usambara area, chameleons from the smaller East Usambara Mts are vosseleri and matschiei )

Click to expand...

Thanks Marcus for your response. Can you provide the source for the above information? I am wondering... is your source: Kroo, L. (2005). Bradypodion fischeri multituberculatum NIEDEN 1913 (Standard Fischer’s Chameleon). Chameleons! Online E-Zine, December 2005.??? - look halfway down the page under the heading Habitat.

There was a more recent publication that seems to conflict with your belief that multis are only in the W.Usambaras: Lutzmann, N. (2008). Some important changes in the systematics of Bradypodion FITZINGER, 1843. Chameleons! Online E-Zine, February 2008. - look 5 paragraphs down, Lutzmann describes distributions.



It was my understanding that multituberculatum are widely distributed and can be found in the same areas as matschiei. I could be very wrong, all input is encouraged! This would tend to make identification more complicated, most likely not correctly identified until after collection from the wild habitat. The pet trade labelled all Fischer's complex chameleons simply as "Fischer's Chameleons" because there were no studies published yet that described any differences. Only recently has there been a clear distinction made between the species and the genus Kinyongia created. (Tilbury et al. 2006) and also (Mariaux et al. 2008)

See Lutzmann's article linked above, he does a spectacular job explaining the history and research involved...complete with jaw dropping photos!

CNorton said:

It was my understanding that multituberculatum are widely distributed and can be found in the same areas as matschiei.

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K. multituberculata are found in the Western Usambara, while K. matschiei and K. vosseleri are found in the Eastern Usambaras. I don't think I've ever seen anything that indicated K. multituberculata was found anywhere else (with the exception of erroneous listings of them living in the Eastern Usambaras and not the Western) or in the same habitat as K. matschiei.

Chris

CNorton thanks for the research resources.

Shhhhh, can you guys here that? The locals are talking about how the traders don't want "big Fischer's chameleons" right now because of the private sector's captive breeding success. They say that can't get that much money for them now. ...okay maybe I can't really hear anything at all, much less understand the language spoke in the Usambara Mtns.

But how great is it that we have all these captive populations breeding now?! Let's get some more clutches incubating this season! I'm here for anyone needing help with K. matschiei and I'm sure Seeco will be there for anyone working with K. multituberculata. Now we've got to get some more keepers dedicated to T. deremensis! Unfortunately I've seen way too many of those imported recently.

I Am Going To Get Back Into The Hobby Soon... got MyNursingDegree, So I Have TIme To Enjoy The Hobby Again. I Want Deremensis - Had My First Eggs A Decade Ago This Summer, BuT They Were wiped Out In The SheLl By Phorid Flies...

I Am hopingToNetwork With People That Keep TheM.

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