Welcome Animal Enthusiast...
To a webpage dedicated to the Chameleon!
This Webpage contains basic information about:The habitat,evolution,appearance,and traits of this reptile (scientific name: Chamaeleonidae).
This type of lizard includes over 160 species which live across the Madagascar, Spain, Africa
Portugal, and even the United States.
Image sources ( from left to right):Blue Chameleon by Tambako The Jaguar on Flickr is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Chameleon in the tree by Tambako The Jaguar on Flickr is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Chameleon by Chester Zoo on Flickr is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
What is the habitat of the Chameleon?
Discover their world:
by visiting the: Habitat webpage.
Do Chameleons really change colors?
These reptiles are best known for their distinct range of colors,and being capable of color shifting camoflage. Different chameleon species are able to vary their coloration and pattern through combinations of pink, blue, red, orange, green, black, brown, light blue, yellow, turquoise, and purple. Color change in chameleons primarily functions as a means of camouflage, however, is more commonly used by the chameleon in social signaling to other animals, in reactions to temperature, and other conditions.
Click to check out the the range of colors
How did Chameleons evolve?
The oldest described chameleon is Anqingosaurus Brevicephalus from the Middle Paleocene (about 58.7–61.7 million years ago) of China, perhaps sharing a common ancestor with iguanids and agamids more than 100 million years ago. Although fossils have been found in Africa, Europe, and Asia, more recent evidence suggests that chameleons most likely originated in mainland Africa.
What are the physical traits of a Chameleons?
* Chameleons vary greatly in size and body structure, with maximum total lengths varying from 22 mm (0.87 in) in male Brookesia nana (one of the world's smallest reptiles) to 68.5 cm (27.0 in) in the male Furcifer oustaleti.
* Many types have head or facial ornamentation, such as nasal protrusions, horn-like projections, or even large crests on top of their heads.
* Chameleons have the most distinctive eyes of any reptile.The upper and lower eyelids are joined, with only a pinhole large enough for the pupil to see through. Each eye can pivot and focus independently, allowing the chameleon to observe two different objects simultaneously. This gives them a full 360-degree arc of vision around their bodies.Chameleons can see in both visible and ultraviolet light. Like snakes, chameleons do not have an outer or a middle ear, so there is neither an ear-opening nor an eardrum. However, chameleons are not deaf: they can detect sound frequencies in the range of 200–600 Hz.
Image source: ThirdLittleFive by Wolfram Eberius on Flickr is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
"I like being like a chameleon who transforms himself with each role".-Oscar Isaac
DISCLAIMER
If you are considering owning a Chameleon as a pet, consider the following: Careful consideration and research should be done before deciding to own a chameleon, These are among the most sensitive reptiles one can own, requiring constant specialized attention and care from their human.
What(and how)does a chameleon eat?:
- All chameleons are primarily insectivores that feed by ballistically projecting their long tongues from their mouths to capture prey located some distance away.
- An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects.
- In the wild, chameleons eat flying insects, caterpillars, and larval worms.
- The tongue apparatus consists of highly modified hyoid bones, tongue muscles, and collagenous elements.
- Tongue projection occurs at extremely high performance, reaching the prey in as little as 0.07 seconds,[48][49][51] having been launched at accelerations exceeding 41 g's.
- While other ectothermic animals become sluggish as their body temperatures decline, due to a reduction in the contractile velocity of their muscles, chameleons are able to project their tongues at high performance even at low body temperatures.
To find additional information about the Chameleon... visit Wikipedia
Email any questions,concerns,comments, or ideas about this page: Click to send the creator of this page feedback
Photo Gallery
Colour change signals a chameleon's physiological condition and intentions to other chameleons. In addition, chameleons are ectothermic.Ectothermic means an animal that relies on its external environment to regulate its body temperature.These reptiles shift to either a darker colour to absorb light and heat to raise their temperature, or to a lighter colour to reflect light and heat, thereby either stabilizing or lowering their body temperature. Chameleons tend to show brighter colours when displaying aggression to other chameleons,and darker colours when they submit or "give up".
Images source :Dark Orange & Brown Chameleon- Panther Chameleon (Réserve Peyrieras) by Johan Siegers on Flikr is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Chameleon with Patches- chamaeleon, Mediterranean chameleon by Amante Darmanin on Flikr is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Camoflage Chameleon in the tree - Chamelicious Chameleons by unnamed artist on Facebook group named Portland OR. No liscense information available.
Electric Blue Chameleon photo by iStock is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 on UC Berkeley Engineering
Panther Chameleon- by Under the same moon on Flickr is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0