Chameleons colourful and unique
Chameleons (Chamaeleonidae) are best known for being colourful and unique, in addition to their exotic colours and ability to change them. However, they are also known for their exciting body features with crests and crowns, curled tails, grasping feet, unusual walking gait, and googly swivelling eyes.
Chameleons are part of the Old-World Lizard species with evolutionary roots dating over 61 million years ago. Moist tropical rainforests and savannahs are the ideal habitats for chameleons. However, they can also live in the desert.
While chameleons are native to Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa, some live in southern Europe, southern Asia, south India, and Sri Lanka. In addition, they are an introduced species in other countries. Around 52% of the world’s chameleon population lives on the island of Madagascar. Of these, approximately 50% are threatened or near-threatened. Furthermore, twenty-three are endangered, and five are critically endangered. In total, 36% of the world’s chameleons are threatened with extinction.
Chameleons are known for their ability to change colour. They can do this very efficiently as they have two layers within their skin structure placed on one another. These two layers control colour change using a lattice substance called guanine nanocrystals. When the chameleon’s body ‘excites’ the lattice, the distance between the nanocrystals increases, thereby changing the wavelengths of light. As the skin absorbs the reflections of light, it changes its colour and patterns.
Why chameleons change colour
- Thermoregulation ~ being cold-blooded, chameleons cannot generate their own body heat. When they are cold, their skin turns dark to absorb more heat; when they become hot, their skin lightens to reflect the sun’s heat.
- Communication ~ to alert other chameleons about their intentions, such as to attract a mate or to let others know to stay away and show dominance when defending their territories. Changing colours is also to intimidate other males.
- Camouflage ~ safety and protection from predators.
SOLITARY ANIMALS
Chameleons are solitary animals. Males tend to be very territorial and will tolerate a female during mating for short periods. Furthermore, being solitary animals, chameleons are not people-friendly. Many are caught and sold as pets and eventually die due to stress and poor care in captivity. Chameleons are diurnal (meaning daytime animals). They continue to grow throughout their life and must constantly shed their skin in bits and pieces as they grow.
SIZE
They can range in size from 2.5 cm to 70 cm long. In addition, they have an innate ability to puff themselves out to make themselves look bigger.
eyes
Furthermore, they have large protruding and swivelling eyes that move independently of each other. This allows the chameleon to look in all directions with a 360° view of their surroundings. They can look forward, backward, and sideways all at the same time without moving their head or their bodies. This ability is also useful when searching for food and looking out for predators.
tail
They have a prehensile tail, which allows them to grasp onto branches by curling them around. In addition, the tail acts as a fifth limb, facilitating movement between branches. Unlike lizards, chameleons do not shed their tail when a predator grabs hold of it. They can’t regrow it if they lose part or all of their tail. In addition to their useful tail, their long, slim legs with five toes on each foot allow for holding on to branches for grasping and climbing.
Other interesting facts
A chameleon’s tongue can extend beyond the length of its body; it is sticky and well-adapted to catch its prey in mid-air if it has to. Their body structure is covered with many bumps and protrusions, and the scales on their backs create large crests and ridges. Some will have hoods or crowns and bony ridges on their skulls. These protrusions and ridges serve two purposes: to collect water, which slides down into their mouth for hydration, and the other is for males to appear more fearsome and intimidating when fighting for a female.
Besides humans, birds are their main predators. Large birds will swoop down, grab a chameleon with their talons, and fly off with them. Having large, strong toes to grip branches makes it difficult for birds to pry them off the branch.
Reproduction
During mating season, males endeavour to attract females by bobbing their heads, puffing out their bodies, and displaying brighter-than-usual colours. In the event a female is not interested, males may persist. If a female is not interested, she will attack and bite; the latter can kill a male.
Most chameleon species lay eggs in deep burrows to keep the eggs cool. Leaves cover the burrows for protection from predators. It can take from 6- 9 months for chameleon eggs to hatch. Once hatched, the young are independent and must fend for themselves. Some species will grow young inside their bodies and give birth to live young, who also fend for themselves following birth.
Diet
With a diet of flying and crawling insects, including butterflies, assorted insects, insect larvae, and snails, chameleons are well-equipped with long, sticky tongues. Some larger chameleons eat small birds and smaller chameleons. They also may eat leaves, flowers, plants, and fruit. They all require water, which they get from dew drops and rain.
Conservation status
Chameleon extinction threatens over 36% of the world’s chameleons due to human behaviour. Habitat loss due to the increasing human population requires more land for housing and agriculture. Wildlife parks are creating safe environments to protect chameleons in light of the chameleon extinction.
These photos were taken at Réserve Peyrieras Madagascar Exotic Reserve, Marozevo, Madagascar.
Resources
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/08/chameleon-colors-reflect-their-emotions/
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