Thiel’s Pygmy Chameleon (Brookesia thieli)
Originally posted by worldlyanimals, photograph by Blepharopsis
(Source: Blepharopsis.deviantart.com, via worldlyanimals-deactivated20121)
astronomy-to-zoology: Parson’s Chameleon (Calumma parsonii)
is a large species of chameleon native to the forests of eastern and northern Madagascar. Largely considered to be the second largest chameleon alive (the Malagasy Giant Chameleon being the largest) with adults growing up 27 inches long (a little smaller than a cat). There are two subspecies/morphs of this species. One where the males eyes are orange and the body is a green or turquoise color (as shown in the 1st picture), and the Second where the male has a yellow mouth and is usually larger, females don’t exhibit these morphs.
Phylogeny
Animalia-Chordata-Reptilia-Squamata-Lacertilia-Chamaeleonidae-Chamaeleoninae-Calumma-parsonii
(via moreanimalia)
astronomy-to-zoology: Brookesia micra
…is a extremely small species of chameleon native to the islet of Nosy Hara in Northern Madagascar. B. micra is one of the smallest known reptiles as adults only grow to around 29 mm (1.1 in) that’s small enough to stand on a match head! It is thought that B.micra’s unusual size is linked to its habitats, via insular dwarfism but that has not yet been confirmed. B. micra is primarily diurnal and hunts in the leaf litter for insects and other small invertebrates. Like other members of the genus Brookesia B. micra uses its tail as an extra limb, using it to grasp onto branches for added stability.
Phylogeny
Animalia-Chordata-Reptilia-Squamata-Lacertilia-Iguania-Chamaeleonidae-Brookesia-micra
rhamphotheca: Recently Discovered: Madagascar
Officially described in 2009, both males and females of the chameleon, Furcifer timoni, are very striking, appearing to sport vibrant ‘glam rock’ makeup. According to scientists, the discovery of this distinctive new species was very surprising since the area they call home has been repeatedly and intensively surveyed for reptiles over many years. In total, 11 new chameleon species have been described in Madagascar since 1999.
(photos: T - Frank Glaw/WWF Madagascar; B - Jöm Köhler/WWF Madagascar)
(via: OurAmazingPlanet)
science-junkie: Chameleon’s Feeding.
The chameleon tongue apparatus consists of highly modified hyoid bones, tongue muscles and collagenous elements. The hyoid bone has an elongated, parallel-sided projection, called the entoglossal process, over which a tubular muscle, the accelerator muscle, sits. The accelerator muscle contracts around the entoglossal process and is responsible for creating the work to power tongue projection, both directly and through the loading of collagenous elements located between the entoglossal process and the accelerator muscle. The tongue retractor muscle, the hyoglossus, connects the hyoid and accelerator muscle, and is responsible for drawing the tongue back into the mouth following tongue projection.
Tongue projection occurs at extremely high performance, reaching the prey in as little as 0.07 seconds having been launched at accelerations exceeding 41 g. The power with which the tongue is launched, known to exceed 3000 W kg-1, exceeds that for which muscle is able to produce, indicating the presence of an elastic power amplifier to power tongue projection. The recoil of elastic elements in the tongue apparatus are thus responsible for large percentages of the overall tongue projection performance.
One consequence of the incorporation of an elastic recoil mechanism to the tongue projection mechanism is relative thermal insensitivity of tongue projection relative to tongue retraction, which is powered by muscle contraction alone, and is heavily thermally sensitive. 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.
Source: Wikipedia.
Photo: Panther Chameleon by Alannah-Hawker
Photo: Lunchtime by AngiWallace.
(via ichthyologist)
rhamphotheca: Jackson’s Chameleon (Trioceros jacksonii),
Originally from East Africa, they have been unintentionally introduced into Hawaii and San Diego, CA.
rhamphotheca: Jackson’s Chameleon (Trioceros jacksonii)
by Heather Kundinger, ADW
… is native to the humid, cooler regions of Kenya and Tanzania, East Africa, found in great numbers at altitudes over 3,000 m.
Most are approximately 15-35 cm in length. They normally display varying shades of green but can turn as dark as black when in great distress. They are sexually dimorphic. Males have three long, pointed horns protruding from the head. These horns are absent or poorly developed in females. Like other chameleons, Jackson’s chameleon has zygodactylus feet (divided so that two toes point inward and three point outward) which are specialized for tree life, and a prehensile tail which is also used for gripping.
The most recognizable feature of all chameleons, however, are their eyes. The pupil is the only part visible from its covering of skin. Each eye rotates a full 180 degrees and is independent of the other. Chameleons have unusually strong control over the curvature of their lenses, and may actually magnify an image…
(read more: Encyclopedia of Life) (photo: Benjamint444)
rhamphotheca: Parson’s Chameleon (Calumma parsonii)
The Parson’s Chameleon is a very large species of chameleon that is endemic to isolated pockets of humid primary forest in eastern and northern Madagascar. They may reach a length of up to 68 cm.
(photo: Jialiang Gao)
rhamphotheca: Nicosia’s Chameleon, Kirindy Forest, Madagascar
Nicosia’s Chameleon (Furcifer nicosiae) has only been described in 1999 (Jesu et al., 1999). This species is probably endemic to the tropical dry forests of western Madagascar. Beside its type locality (Tsingy de Bemaraha), it is currently only known to occur in Kirindy Forest.
Kirindy Forest is a privately managed conservation area, ca. 40 km north-east of the town of Morondava. Not part of the official National Park System of Madagascar, this 120 sqkm area was earlier operated as an experimental sustainable timber harvesting scheme. Fortunately, this has not left indelible scars and the site is now considered as one of finest remaining examples of endemic western dry deciduous forest.
(text/photo: Frank Vassen)
rhamphotheca: Male Labord’s Chameleon, Kirindy Forest, Madagascar
A species of western dry forest, Labord’s Chameleon (Furcifer labordi) is notable for its extreme life cycle. It spends 8 months of its 1 year-life span inside the egg. Once hatched it only survives for another four to five months, as it dies almost immediately after reproduction. There is no other terrestrial vertebrate with a shorter known active life-span. This peculiar life cycle, known as “semelparity”, is presumably an adaptation to a combination of extreme climate and competition with other sympatric chameleon species.
Males of the species are easily identifiable by their prominent, bony-head “casque”, and the presence of a well-developed appendage jutting out from near the nostrils. The nasal projection and bony casque of the male enables females to recognise potential mates, and is also used as a weapon when in combat with other territorial males.
(text/photo: Frank Vassen)
reptiglo: Big nosed Chameleon (Calumma nasutum)
One of the smallest of the arboreal chameleons (3), the big-nosed chameleon is named for the large, paddle-like appendage which projects from the nose region (2). This flexible appendage is larger and more square-shaped on males, and is believed to be used to recognise potential mates (2). Male big-nosed chameleons can also be distinguished by the more pronounced casque, a bony head crest (2). The skin of both sexes is usually a shade of brown, reddish-brown, tan, or light green (2) (3), with females not receptive to mating rapidly developing a striking display of whitish-blue to turquoise spots on top of the head and on the sides of the nasal appendage (2). Like other chameleons, this big-nosed species has a prehensile tail, fused toes, distinctive turret-like eyes and an impressively long tongue
big-nosed chameleon, calumma nasutum, andasibe by hakoar on Flickr.
Source: x
(Source: reptiglo)
Species of Family Chamaeleonidae
There are roughly 208 known species of Chameleons. The most common chameleons seen in the pet trade are as follows:
Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus)
Panther Chameleon (Furcifer pardalis)
Bearded Pygmy Chameleon (Rieppeleon brevicaudatus)
countershade: Panther Chameleons (Furcifer pardarlis)
Panther Chameleons are one of 160 species of chameleon that are found in all kinds of habitats, from mountainous and tropical rainforest to deserts and savannah. As evidenced above, sexual dimorphism is prominent in this particular species, with males being up to twice as large and far more vibrant than their generally tan female counterparts. A common misinterpretation is that a chameleon solely changes colour to match that of his surroundings - it also has functions in social signalling, as a reaction to environmental pressures and even thermoregulation.
The Panther Chameleon is often named after the region it is found in, and each region tends to produce chameleons of a certain colour - Nosy Be chameleons, for example, are typically a striking blue, whilst Tamatava individuals are primarily red. Like all other chameleons, F. pardarlis has distinctive eyes that are able to move independently of one another, with only the pupil of each eye exposed. Their tongues are often longer than their bodies. When females are carrying eggs, they turn darker in order to deter potential males, and because of the stress that egg laying puts on their bodies, they only live 2-3 years after laying 5-8 clutches. Which is super sad.
Great clip from David Attenborough’s fabulous series Life in Cold Blood involving one of my favourite reptile families, the chameleons (Chamaeleonidae). The South African dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion spp.) are among the minority of chameleon species that reproduce ovoviviparously, meaning that the young develop within eggs that are retained inside the mother’s body until they are ready to hatch, at which point they are born live. Most other chameleons are oviparous - they lay eggs within which embryonic development takes place outside of the mother.
