Stump-tailed Chameleon - Cameroon

Cameroon is one of two African countries once held as a colony by Germany, France, and Great Britain. Foreign domination began in 1884, when Germany gained control. After World War I, the colony was divided between French and British mandates. In 1962, the two regions were combined to form an independent Cameroon.

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Brookesia spectrum - The stump-tailed chameleon is common in the wet mountain regions of Cameroon. Chameleons can change colors, but generally stay within the subtle shades of tan and grey. The stump-tailed chameleon is smaller than most chameleons and can rotate its eyes sockets independently. It has opposable digits on front and rear legs and a projectile tongue for snatching up insects. The stump-tailed chameleon is not a threatened species, but numbers are in decline through habitat loss caused by extensive logging.

Hairy Frog - Cameroon

Trichobatrachus robustus - Native to the western area of Central Africa, the hairy frog is an odd amphibian. Breeding males develop dermal papillae along their flanks and thighs. These growths resemble hair, but are folds of skin containing arteries to provide the frog with an additional source of oxygen. When threatened, the hairy frog can defend itself by purposely breaking off a toe, force the bone through the skin and use the exposed claw as a weapon in defending itself. 

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The Fula people are one of the widest distributed ethnic groups of Africa. Despite being scattered throughout more than 20 countries, the Fula retain a common bound through their cultural traditions and language, Fulfulde. The Fula population exceeds 40 million people, with approximately 13 million living a semi-nomadic lifestyle. This makes them the world’s largest nomadic group. It was in the late 18th and early 19th century when the Fula established themselves as the dominate power in Cameroon.

Colonial African - 1913

The Age of Discovery, an event begun in the 15th century and lasting until the 18th century, was a period when the Europeans dared to explore further than ever before. Their initial purpose was to enrich themselves through trade. Using reliable ships to sail across vast oceans, they found opportunities beyond all expectations. To protect these newly acquired sources of wealth, they used their military superiority to claim, to hold, and to discourage intrusion from rivals; it was also used to subdue local resistance.

The conquest of Africa began slowly; Portugal attacked and took control of Ceuta, a Muslim settlement in Northern Africa in 1415. By 1884, it became a scramble as the Europeans gathered at the Berlin Conference to divide what remained of Africa. In 1870, almost two decades before the Berlin Conference, a mere 10 percent of Africa was held by the Europeans; by 1914, the figure had increased to 90 percent and left only three independent entities on the African continent: Ethiopia, Liberia, and the undefined and disputed borders of the Dervish State.

Günther's Black Snake - Kamerun

Germany established Kamerun in 1884; the colony was much larger than present day Cameroon. The first trading settlement was located at Douala, then a small village on the estuary of the Wouri River. Germany retained control of the colony until 1916, when it was invaded by France and Great Britain during World War I.

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Bothrolycus ater - Günther's black snake is part of the largest family of snakes, the Colubridea family. The black snake can be found in Western Africa extending from Cameroon to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With most snakes, the females are usually larger than males, but the black snake is one of the few with another notable feature of sexual dimorphism; the females have 19 dorsal scale rows, the males have 17. Snakes have dorsal, ventral, anal, and sub-caudal scales. These scales can be keeled or smooth.