This jewel-colored
panther chameleon looks
like a neon rainbow!
by Ellen Lambeth
photos by Christian Ziegler
With its rolling eyes and
changeable colors, a chameleon
is like no other animal on Earth.
There are more than 200 different kinds of
chameleons (kuh-MEE-lee-unz), and nearly
all of them live in Africa. These reptiles
come in lots of shapes, colors, and patterns.
They vary from about an inch in length to
the size of a house cat. And many may have
horny “helmets,” knobby snouts, or spiny crests.
But there are a number of things that make all
chameleons the same. Read on!
6
Perched on a man’s
fingertip is the world’s
smallest chameleon.
It’s known only by
its scientific name:
Brookesia micra (brookEE-zee-uh MYE-kruh).
7
Ą chameleon
can look forward
and backward at
the same time!
GRIPPY TOES ĄND TĄIL
Most chameleons live in trees, where
they hang on to narrow branches. Each
pincher-like foot is perfect for gripping, with two clawed toes on one side
and three on the other. A chameleon’s
tail works as a fifth foot. It can wrap
around a branch to hang on, too. A
tail that can grab and grip this way is
called a prehensile (pree-HEN-sul) tail.
Chameleons blend in well, whether they hang out mostly
in trees, on bare ground, or among dead leaves.
giant Madagascar chameleon
young panther chameleon
canopy chameleon
elongate leaf chameleon
O’Shaughnessy’s
chameleon
Parson’s chameleon
TRICKY EYES
A chameleon has big eyes, mostly
covered by scaly lids. They stick out
from the sides of the head and move
up, down, forward, backward, and all
around. The craziest part is that each
eye can move separately. That way,
the chameleon can look for prey in one
direction while watching out for danger
in another direction at the same time!
TĄLENTED
TONGUE
Many chameleons
sleep with their
tails coiled up.
er
Fast
You know how a frog can
flip out its tongue to catch
flies and other insects, right?
Well, a chameleon has a
similar talent, but it’s way
cooler. For one thing, a chameleon’s tube-shaped tongue
is incredibly long—up to
twice as long as the chameleon’s whole body. For
another thing, the tongue
explodes from the chameleon’s mouth with force and
lightning-fast speed. The
sticky, suction cup-shaped
tip snags the prey, and the
tongue yanks it back into
the mouth. Gulp!
So, what does a chameleon
eat? That depends on its
size. Most chameleons eat
insects and other creepycrawlies. But the big ones
also sometimes grab
other lizards or—
once in a rare while—a bird
or small mammal.
than the eye can see, a tongue shoots out at prey. Watch out, mantis!
panther chameleon
8
CONTROLLED CONDITIONS
9
Two male panther
chameleons flash
vivid colors as
they clash over
territory or a
mate.
10
COLORFUL SKIN
SNEĄK-ĄBILITY
What everyone knows about chameleons is that they change colors. But
most people wrongly think that they do
it to blend in with their surroundings.
Actually, their “normal” colors already
blend in pretty well.
What chameleons do change colors
for is to show their changing moods.
For example, a chameleon changes
color when it wants to attract a mate,
when it wants to be left alone, when it
wants to show off, or when it’s excited
or afraid. Changes in light and temperature make chameleons change color,
too. They can turn lighter to cool off or
darker to soak up more sun.
You’d hardly notice a chameleon in its
natural surroundings. For one thing,
chameleons don’t move around much.
And when they do, they creep along
very slowly. They may even sway a bit
to mimic fluttering leaves. All this helps
chameleons sneak up on prey. Because
their tongues are so long, they can
strike from a distance. And because this
happens so fast, the prey never knows
what hit it.
Staying still and blending in also
helps chameleons fool hungry birds,
snakes, and other predators. And if their
camouflage isn’t enough, they can flatten
their bodies to become skinny enough
to hide behind the branches they’re on.
But if that doesn’t work, they can puff
themselves up to appear too big and too
tough to tackle.
Ąfter a battle, the male on top walks off
as the winner, his bright fighting colors
fading. The male below turns completely
dark to show he’s given up the fight.
CONTROLLED CONDITIONS
AFRICA
MADAGASCAR
TROUBLE IN
THE HOMELĄND
Ą two-banded chameleon stands
out in this charred landscape.
Close to half of the world’s
chameleons live only
on the island nation of
Madagascar (see map).
Trouble is, too many
are collected for the
pet trade. Even worse,
too many of their forest
homes have been burned
(top) or cut down for fuel
and logs or to make way
for farms and mines.
Many chameleons don’t
survive the clearing of
habitat. And those that do
are squeezed into smaller
and smaller safe areas. It’s a
good thing that some people
are working hard to protect
Madagascar’s remaining
forests. The lives of many
chameleons—plus many
other animal and plant
­species—depend on it! =
New farmland gives this
chameleon less room to roam.
11