Blue Chameleon

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Phylogeny and classification of the Chamaeleonidae (Sauria) with special reference to hemipenis morphology". It can be maintained on a mixed diet including kale, dandelion leaves, lettuce, bananas, tomatoes, apples, crickets, and waxworms. When hunting prey, the eyes focus forward in coordination, affording the animal stereoscopic vision. It is usually gray or brown, with some darker mottling and a non-solid white stripe running down each side of its body. Native to western Madagascar, where it lives in dry forests, the Rhinoceros chameleon’s habitat is threatened by deforestation and the species is considered vulnerable.

While a particular species may be endemic to a certain area, many have been successfully introduced to the wild in other parts of the world.

Some chameleons have a crest of small spikes extending along the spine from the proximal part of the tail to the neck; both the extent and size of the spikes vary between species and individuals. Given that Madagascar is home to around half the world’s chameleon species, the natural assumption for a long time was that they had evolved there and then spread throughout the rest of Africa and into Asia. Native to South Africa and Swaziland, this species is usually found in forested areas located at high elevations on mountains or plateaus. Native to the mountain cloud forests and rainforests of eastern Madagascar, the Malthe chameleon is distinguished by its large occipital lobe and nose-like appendage apparent in male specimens. The most common in the trade are the Senegal chameleon ( Chamaeleo senegalensis), the Yemen or veiled chameleon ( Chamaeleo calyptratus), the panther chameleon ( Furcifer pardalis), and Jackson's chameleon ( Trioceros jacksonii).

Depending on mood or visual stimulation, males may display colors that indicate a relaxed or excited state. This is less applicable to desert dweling species but they are just as adapted to climbing trees as those found in mountain or forest areas. Chameleons inhabit all kinds of tropical and mountain rain forests, savannas, and sometimes deserts and steppes.Its nictitating membranes let it pick out foes' weak points so it can precisely blast them with water that shoots from its fingertips at Mach 3.

Chameleons or chamaeleons ( family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. Commonly known as Leaf Chameleons, species belonging to the genus Brookesia are endemic to Madagascar. Some species, particularly those of Madagascar and some African genera in rainforest habitats, have blue fluorescence in their skull tubercles, deriving from bones and possibly serving a signaling role. Diaz-Paniagua C, Cuadrado M (2003), "Influence of incubation conditions on hatching success, embryo development and hatchling phenotype of common chameleon ( Chamaeleo chamaeleon) eggs", Amphibia-Reptilia, 24 (4): 429–440, doi: 10. The thermal insensitivity of tongue projection thus enables chameleons to feed effectively on cold mornings prior to being able to behaviorally elevate their body temperatures through thermoregulation, when other sympatric lizards species are still inactive, likely temporarily expanding their thermal niche as a result.They live in warm habitats that range from rainforest to desert conditions, with various species occurring in Africa, Madagascar, southern Europe, and across southern Asia as far as Sri Lanka. Which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense given most chameleons live in the trees and they don’t act much like lions! Other chameleon fossils include Chamaeleo caroliquarti from the Lower Miocene (about 13–23 mya) of the Czech Republic and Germany, and Chamaeleo intermedius from the Upper Miocene (about 5–13 mya) of Kenya. Molecular phylogenetics and mitochondrial genomic evolution in the Chamaeleonidae (Reptilia, Squamata)".

The feet of chameleons are highly adapted to arboreal locomotion, and species such as Chamaeleo namaquensis that have secondarily adopted a terrestrial habit have retained the same foot morphology with little modification. It is generally gray or brown in color with lighter patches throughout, punctuated by yellow or red stripes around the throat. The so aptly named carpet chameleon and short lived Labord’s are leading contenders but for my money the panther chameleon is the most colorful and displays the widest range of colors, from lush sky blue to deep rich red the panther chameleon has all the colors of the rainbow in its pallet. The coloring on its body resembles a tuxedo and trousers, and it uses many tools that spies are often depicted using, such as guns, knives and hang gliders. Naturally, communicating through the fluorescence of UV light would be relatively useless if chameleons were not able to see ultraviolet light.They are often an attractive shade of green and have a pronounced nose-like structure that protrudes from the front of their faces. The ovoviviparous species, such as the Jackson's chameleon ( Trioceros jacksonii) have a five- to seven-month gestation period.