MOESM18 of BMC ecology image competition 2017: the winning images

Additional file 18. The roar of the last Andalusian dragon. “In southern Spain, lost in the middle of the arid interior region of Málaga, lies an area of fertile fruit plantations named the “Axarquía”. Here, the last Andalusian dragons (no other name may deserve an animal such as Chamaeleon chamaeleo) thrive amongst the branches of both exotic avocado and historical Mediterranean olive trees. This elusive animal may be difficult to spot throughout the year, but in summer, the striking and distinct colors signalling reproductive state in both sexes contrast with the fragility of the ecosystem it inhabits. Uncontrolled hotel building for the low-cost tourism industry in this part of the Spanish Mediterranean threatens the maintenance of healthy populations of this charismatic lizard.” Attribution: Javier Ábalos Álvarez (University of Valencia, Spain).