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A chameleon sits motionlessly on a tree branch. Suddenly its sticky, two-foot-long tongue snaps out at 13 miles an hour, wrapping around a cricket and whipping the yummy snack back into the reptile’s mouth. Now that’s fast food dining! And the chameleon’s swift eating style is just one of its many features that’ll leave you tongue-tied. COLORFUL CRITTERS Chameleons mostly live in the ...
- What Is A Chameleon?
- Life in The Trees
- Appearance
- Eyes
- Reproduction
- Tongue
- Size
- Threats to Survival
There’s no mistaking the distinctive features of a chameleon: its telescopic eyes, grasping tail, color-changing skin, and projectile tongue. But while these animals are far from aggressive apex predators, the name chameleon comes from the Greek for “Earth lion.” They likely got the name from the crest on the head of some species that resembles a l...
Chameleons are perfectly adapted to life in the trees. They have four feet, each with five toes—two that point in one direction and three in the other. This allows them to use their toes like a finger and thumb to grip branches tightly. Like seahorses and monkeys, they can wrap their tails around branches, freeing up their arms to reach for the nex...
Chameleons usually present as green or brownto blend into their arboreal habitat. It’s this natural coloring that protects them from predators. It keeps them safely hidden because they don’t have any poison or a dangerous bite to defend themselves. It’s well-known that chameleons can change color, which they do using special cells and crystals in t...
Chameleons’ bulging, swiveling eyes give them incredible panoramic vision—about 180 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically—that helps them watch for potential threats. Each eye has a cone-shaped eyelid that’s fused to the eyeball with a tiny hole in the center for the pupil. Chameleons can focus each eye separately, switch between monocular...
Most species lay eggs, which the female deposits in a hole in the ground. Smaller species might lay two to four eggs in a clutch, while others lay about 40. Eggs usually take four to 12 months to hatch. Notable exceptions include the Parson’s chameleon, whose eggs incubate for up to 24 months, and a few species such as Jackson’s chameleonsthat give...
Twice its body length, a chameleon’s sticky, projectile tongue is an evolutionary marvel used to catch prey. The tongue is compressed at the back of the animal’s throat like a jack-in-the-box ready to pop. When the chameleon spots its prey, it sends its tongue shooting forward with huge force, like a spring-loaded cannon. Some species can release t...
There are two contenders for the world’s largest chameleon: the Parson's chameleon is the largest by weight at around 1.5 pounds and 26 inches long, while the Malagasy giant chameleon grows to about 27 incheslong. Until recently, the smallest known chameleon was Brookesia micra, measuring less than 1.18 inches. However in 2021, the 0.85-inch Brooke...
About half of all chameleon species are threatened or near threatened, mainly because of habitat loss due to slash-and-burn agriculture and deforestation, as well as the pet trade. Most species are listed on Appendix II of CITES, the treaty that governs the international wildlife trade. It means chameleons from the wild can be bought and sold acros...
Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colours, being capable of colour-shifting camouflage.
- Chamaeleonidae, Rafinesque, 1815
- Squamata
7 de mar. de 2024 · Chameleon, any of a group of primarily arboreal (tree-dwelling) Old World lizards best known for their ability to change body color. Other characteristics include zygodactylous feet (with toes fused into opposed bundles of two and three), eyes that move independently, and a long, slender projectile tongue.
- Laurie Vitt
3 de jun. de 2015 · Chameleons are reptiles that are part of the iguana suborder. These colorful lizards are known as one of the few animals that can change skin color. However, it is a misconception that...
11 de ago. de 2015 · Watch these charismatic creatures shoot their tongues out like arrows to catch an insect, mimic leaves swaying in the wind, and display their hidden colors—a...
- 4 min
- 1.6M
- National Geographic
In the reptile world, there are some bizarre shapes and colors, but some of the most striking variations are found in the chameleons. These colorful lizards are known for their ability to change their color; their long, sticky tongue; and their eyes, which can be moved independently of each other.
