What makes a chameleon a reptile

Male chameleons produce some of the most vivid coat colors during the mating season with females preferring to mate with brightly colored males as opposed to those with gray and brown skins worn by submissive males. A chameleon's eyes can move independently and are adapted to detecting and regulating light, of particular interest is the ability of the chameleon to adjust its eye lens to enlarge visual images. Chameleons have a rapidly extrudable tongue that enables the capture of insects at a distance.

Larger chameleons are also able to prey on small lizards and birds. A chameleon captures its prey by launching its tongue to a distance longer than twice its body length with pinpoint accuracy at its victim which gets stuck at the tip of the tongue. Retractor muscles then draw the tongue and prey back into the mouth. Most chameleons reproduce by laying between 2 to 40 eggs, which are buried in soil or rotting plant matter.

However, there are some species such as Jackson's chameleon that give birth to live offspring. The young ones of these species, however, do not have placentas since the females incubate their eggs inside their body instead of laying the eggs. These colorful lizards are known as one of the few animals that can change skin color. However, it is a misconception that chameleons change colors to match their surroundings. With so many different species, there are many different sizes.

It can grow up to 27 inches The Madagascan, also known as the Oustalet's chameleon, is also very large and grows up to 23 inches 60 cm long. The smallest chameleon has a special distinction. It is also one of the smallest vertebrates ever discovered. The leaf chameleon grows to just 0. Unlike other animals, chameleons continue to grow throughout their lives.

As their old skin gets too small, they will shed it in bits and pieces, dissimilar to snakes that shed their skin all at once. Changing skin color is an important part of communication among chameleons. According to the San Diego Zoo , a chameleon's skin changes colors in response to its emotions, such as anger or fear, changes in light, temperature or humidity. The brighter the color, the more dominant the male is, and the more attractive he is to females.

A submissive male is usually brown or gray. Females use their colors to accept or reject a suitor, and their color can also indicate that she is pregnant. A new study has found that chameleons can rapidly change color by adjusting special cells, called iridophore cells, in each layer. These colorful lizards are known for their ability to change their color; their long, sticky tongue; and their eyes, which can be moved independently of each other. Get a handle on it.

Chameleons spend their life in trees and bushes. Most lizards have five toes, but the chameleon's five toes are modified into groups: on the forefoot, the two outside toes are joined to form one group, and the three inside toes form another; the hind foot has the opposite arrangement.

This allows them to grasp branches just like our thumbs and fingers can grasp objects. The chameleon's tail also helps with life up high: most have a prehensile tail that can wrap around tree branches while climbing. For this reason, the chameleon's tail cannot be broken off and regrown like those of many other lizards. The eyes have it. The chameleon's eyes are the most distinctive among reptiles.

Each eye has a scaly lid shaped like a cone, with only a small, round opening in the middle for the pupil. The chameleon can rotate and focus its eyes separately to look at two different objects at the same time! This gives it a full degree view around its body.

When the chameleon sees prey, both eyes can focus in the same direction to get a clearer view. The skinny on skin. How chameleons change color is a fascinating and complicated process. First of all, they don't really change color to match their surroundings, and they cannot change to any and all colors.

For example, if a chameleon is sitting on a red-and-white polka dot tablecloth, it will not turn red and develop round, white spots! Chameleons don't look at what they're sitting on and deliberately decide to match it. Instead, each chameleon species has a group of patterns and colors that it is able to display.

Chameleons have four layers of skin: the outer, protective layer, called the epidermis; the chromatophore layer, which contains yellow and red pigments; the melanophore layer, which has the dark pigment melanin and can create brown and black colors or reflect blue; and the nether layer, which only reflects white. Nerve impulses and hormone changes cause the color cells in these layers to expand and shrink, and the blending of the different layers creates the colors and patterns that we see.

Through the field of bioinspiration, scientists and engineers are digging deep to discover what chemical and biological mechanisms allow chameleons to change color. So far, a prototype T-shirt that changes color has been created with the same process that the chameleon uses. A water-catching casque. The veiled chameleon is a large chameleon found in the mountain regions of Yemen and Saudi Arabia where there is very little water.

Males and females differ greatly in size, with the males being much larger, although both have a decorative growth on their head that looks like a party hat but is called a casque. The casque acts like a water collector: at night, droplets of moisture roll down the casque and into the chameleon's open mouth! Males also have a spur on each hind leg. Veiled chameleons are omnivores, eating insects, leaves, and flowers. Female veiled chameleons can produce three clutches of eggs a year. Each clutch may have 20 to 70 eggs and take 6 to 9 months to hatch.

Little mysteries.