Chameleons

A young Yemen Chameleon

Looks

Chameleons are lizards, best known for their ability to change colour. Many people think they do this to blend into the background—but scientists disagree. Instead they use this amazing ability to either send messages to other chameleons or adjust the temperatures of their bodies. But how do they do this, you ask?

Chameleons actually have four layers of skin, each one including different pigments. They create their colourful combinations by shrinking and expanding cells (called chromatophores), as an artist might mix their paints.

These remarkable reptiles can switch their skin to mixtures of pink, red, orange, green, black, turquoise, purple, and more! Some males even have decorative frills and horns; however, females are often rather bland—their horns are smaller than the males’ and their colours are dulled.

Along with this, chameleons possess feet that allow them to grip easily onto branches, and a tongue that can shoot out to almost twice their body length (not including the tail). And if that’s not enough, their eyes can look in two different directions at once, and focus in on their prey for better aiming.

Habitat

Half of the world’s chameleon population lives in Madagascar. They make their homes in rain forests, grasslands, forested mountains and even deserts!

Feeding

The chameleon’s diet consists of insects such as moths, crickets and caterpillars; larger species, however, may eat smaller lizards and even young birds. They use their muscled, sticky tongues to catch their food.

Breeding

After mating, the female lays her eggs in a hole she digs in the ground. The clutch size will vary between species—smaller chameleons tend to lay about three to five eggs, while larger species can produce up to one hundred!

Depending on the species, the eggs will incubate for about 12 months before the young chameleons hatch. Once free from the eggs, the young chameleons go off to find food and fend for themselves.