Discover The Chameleon Habitat
*The oldest chameleon species known to biologists is the Anqingosaurus Brevicephalus from the Middle Paleocene era (about 58.7 to 61.7 million years ago) of China.
Chameleons are believed to share a common ancestor with iguanids and agamids
which existed more than 100 million years ago.
Fossils of the chameleon have been found in Africa, Europe, and Asia
however
more recent evidence suggests
that Chameleons likely originated in mainland Africa
If you are considering owning a Chameleon as a pet 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.
A Chameleon owner demonstrates the ability of this reptile to change colors:
By assisting his pet to climb onto different colored pairs of sunglasses,
the animal changes colors rapidly
Chameleons are best known for a
Distinct range of colors
as
well
as their
ability to color shifting
as
camoflage.
Different species of Chameleons are able to vary their coloration and pattern
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
color change is more commonly used by the chameleon in social signaling to other animals
in reactions to temperature
and
other conditions.
*A Chameleons color change signals the reptiles physiological condition and intention to other chameleons.
*This 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".
SIZE & BODY STRUCTURE
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 of Chameleons have head or facial ornamentation
such as nasal protrusions
horn-like projections
or even large crests on top of their heads.
EYES & EARS
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 the Chameleon a full 360-degree arc of vision around their bodies
Chameleons can see in both visible and ultraviolet light.
Chameleons do not have an outer or a middle ear
so there is neither an ear-opening nor an eardrum.
Chameleons are not deaf
they can detect sound frequencies in the range of 200–600 Hz.
CHAMELEON BEING FED:
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 *
Chameleons generally eat insects such as locusts, mantids, grasshoppers, stick insects, and crickets.
Some larger chameleons also eat small birds and other lizards. A few have been known to eat a bit of plant material.
all about The Chameleon visit...
Wikipedia
The Creator of this page:click here
TOP OF PAGE (from left to right):
Tiny Chameleon on Human Fingertip:Juvenile Brookesia micra on finger tip: Frank Glaw, Jörn Köhler, Ted M. Townsend, Miguel Vences, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Colorless Chameleon:ThirdLittleFive by Wolfram Eberius on Flickr is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Chameleon grasping branch: Chameleon in the tree by Tambako The Jaguar on Flickr is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Chameleon on Hand: Panther Chameleon by Under the same moon on Flickr is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
MIDDLE OF PAGE (from left to right):
Chameleon climbing down the branch Chameleon_Wroclaw_ZOO by Kinemator, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Green Chameleon Chameleon_head by Mbrickn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Red ChameleonUntitled by Rod Bauer on Flikr is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
BOTTOM OF PAGE (from left to right):
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.
Multicolored Green Chameleon- Chameleon by Chester Zoo on Flickr is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Chameleon Climbing down the tree- Panther Chameleon by Under the same moon... on is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Electric Blue Chameleon- photo by iStock is liscensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 on UC Berkeley Engineering
