Chameleons are probably one of the most interesting families of animals in the world. They have something that make people love them, they are fascinating creatures with great adaptations and they are stunningly beautiful and colourful. If you share my passion for chameleons, join us in an article in which we will learn some of its many amazing characteristics.
Color change is undoubtedly the most famous feature of chameleons (although not all species can do it), but most people don't know its real objective. Although a few species of chameleons actually use it to camouflage, this is not the case of the majority. Most species use it to express their mood, to warn other males or to try to scare predators. Another objective of colour change is to regulate their temperature, as they are poikilotherm and, therefore, can't internally regulate it. They turn to darker colours when they want to absorb heat and to lighter colours when they need to cool down.
Chameleons are predominatly arboreal and, in order to be able to climb on branches and logs, they have very specialized feet. They have 5 fingers in total clustered in two fascicles (with 2 and 3 fingers respectively). Each finger has a claw at the end, ensuring a tight grip to the wood of the trees.
On their head, these reptiles have many amazing adaptations that serve many different functions. Most chameleons have some kind of ornamentation, like horns, crests, etc.
Their eyes are equally amazing, as they are special in many ways. The top and bottom eyelids are fused together and only leave a small hole for the pupile. They can move independently, giving them a 360º view range, with one eye looking at a prey and the other one searching for possible predators. However, when they are about to attack a prey, both eyer focus on it, although they don't achieve stereopsis (binocular sense of depth).
When ready to attack, the chameleon uses an amazing hunting tool, its tongue. It can reach 1,5 to 2 times the length of the body (without the tail) and it can catch a prey in less than 0.07 seconds, achieving accelerations of 41 G.
Chameleons are one of my favourite animals because they have evolved in a very unique way. Their colours, their eyes, their behavior is just amazing. I hope you learned something new and love chameleons more after reading this article. If you have any doubts, write them in the comments and follow us if you enjoy our content.
Color change is undoubtedly the most famous feature of chameleons (although not all species can do it), but most people don't know its real objective. Although a few species of chameleons actually use it to camouflage, this is not the case of the majority. Most species use it to express their mood, to warn other males or to try to scare predators. Another objective of colour change is to regulate their temperature, as they are poikilotherm and, therefore, can't internally regulate it. They turn to darker colours when they want to absorb heat and to lighter colours when they need to cool down.
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| Photo by: Steve @ the alligator farm https://flic.kr/p/7JnccT |
On their head, these reptiles have many amazing adaptations that serve many different functions. Most chameleons have some kind of ornamentation, like horns, crests, etc.
Their eyes are equally amazing, as they are special in many ways. The top and bottom eyelids are fused together and only leave a small hole for the pupile. They can move independently, giving them a 360º view range, with one eye looking at a prey and the other one searching for possible predators. However, when they are about to attack a prey, both eyer focus on it, although they don't achieve stereopsis (binocular sense of depth).
When ready to attack, the chameleon uses an amazing hunting tool, its tongue. It can reach 1,5 to 2 times the length of the body (without the tail) and it can catch a prey in less than 0.07 seconds, achieving accelerations of 41 G.
Chameleons are one of my favourite animals because they have evolved in a very unique way. Their colours, their eyes, their behavior is just amazing. I hope you learned something new and love chameleons more after reading this article. If you have any doubts, write them in the comments and follow us if you enjoy our content.
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