In the lowland of southwesterly Madagascar there is , and sometimes is n’t , a lizard known as Labord ’s chameleon ( Furcifer labordi ) with an unusual life bike . The chameleons , as pointed out by UK fun fact podcastNo Such Thing As A Fish , are functionally extinct for several calendar month of the twelvemonth , with no adults alive ( as far as we are aware ) .

Labord ’s chameleons begin their life history hatching in synchronization at the starting time of the showery season in November .

" Early spirit of this chameleon is characterized by fast increment , resulting in sexual due date at less than two months of age , " a2017 paperon the lizard explicate . " After sexual union , senescent declination becomes plain , and by the ending of the rainy season in March , a population wide die - off of both sexes hap . "

For the females , this happens before long after they have buried their eggs to keep them safe during the dry season from April til October .

" The female put all their energy into producing bollock that postulate to get through the farsighted drought while underground , " Valeria Fabbri - Kennedy and Chris Raxworthy , a herpetologist at the American Museum of Natural History , toldLive Science . " They choke within just a few hours of having laid them , as they have few resources leave . "

Before they die though , the female person can put on a spectacularcolor - changing exhibit .

Their unusual lifespan allows them to survive the hot season , basically by skip it , spending that timeas an orchis .

" With an brooding menses of 8–9 calendar month , F. labordispend the majority of their lifespan as a develop fertilized egg in the testis , probably as an adaptation to the extremely seasonal climate , " the theme tot up .

The timings of the dice - off vary by area in Madagascar , and by how long the wet time of year is . In warmer slopped season , adults may be a little longer . After one remarkably long wet time of year , one female has even been found to survive to see another breeding season , and researchers have kept males alive too by keeping them in cages under favorable conditions . But since the animate being decease after reproduce , and drop several month incubating , for several months a class the specie is basically extinct , with no adult specimens in the groundless , only eggs .

[ H / T : No Such Thing As A Fish ]