My first

So... way back when... High School in fact, I was an aspiring herpetologist. I had the opportunity to travel widely collecting all kinds of reptiles and amphibians. One species that I never had the chance to see in the wild though was the Jackson's Chameleon, native to Kenya.

For some reason this crazy looking lizard stuck in my head as a missed goal.

Then, in the fall of 2013, I had the opportunity to live on Oahu in Hawaii for a few months while working on the visual effects for a feature film. One day, while driving to North Shore, I thought I saw a sign by someones driveway that said "Jackson's - $10". The seed was planted.

As part of the film, we spent time working in the hills above Waimanalo on the windward side of Oahu (there's even a street there called "Jackson's Chameleon Way" <link>). So I started asking around and found out that these spectacular lizards are so common that kids go collect them to sell to pet stores for pocket money!

It was suggested that I get a bright light and go out at night, when they turn a bright, light green.

Doing just that, I headed up to Nuuanu Pali Drive off the Pali Highway one evening and lo and behold, I found a fantastic female. She was sleeping in this soft needled branch - <link>

Her name is Mo'i which means Queen in Hawaiian.