The most beautiful lizards are chameleons. Chameleon: interesting facts, photos and brief description Chameleons live

Chameleon is a lizard with a huge subspecies of species that are widespread. But today we will talk about the ordinary chameleon, where it lives, and what it looks like. Do you know what you need to keep a reptile? You will find the answer to this question in our article!

Description of the common chameleon

Common chameleon has a length of 30 cm, it does not have any differences from other species, there are no horns or combs. Its color can be either spotted or plain, but the color varies from dark green and yellow to brown-red. Skin color depends on air temperature, for example, in the morning when the temperature is low chameleon yellowish in color with barely noticeable spots and red stripes on the sides. These stripes fade during the day and the spots become dark green, but the lizard can be completely brown-red without noticeable patterns, and the stripes are faintly colored. By the way, stay chameleon plays a big role in the sun! The more the reptile bathes in the sun's rays, the brighter the color, for example, black-blue or dark brown, and the spots become blue or yellow. A couple of minutes in bright light is enough to get a rainbow color, even if the chameleon was in the shade the entire previous time. However, in case of danger, the black color appears, which will immediately scare away predators.

HABITAT AND LIFESTYLE OF THE COMMON CHAMELEON

Chameleon habitat and lifestyle

In winter, the reptile hibernates, and this is the most important time for it. Chameleons singly or in groups they look for crevices where they will spend the cold season, but as soon as the temperature rises, they crawl out together. Did you know that chameleon is one of the most accurate animals? When hunting insects, the reptile shoots its tongue at a distance of 20-30 cm, hiding in a secluded place and changing the color of its skin to suit the natural conditions, and you know, there are usually no misses! The eyes of a chameleon are also unusual in their own way; they rotate in different directions and do not depend on one another, although according to generally accepted opinion they are practically motionless. This helps you see from all sides at once!

Mating chameleons in the summer, and by mid-autumn the female lays eggs in a deep hole, numbering about 40 eggs. She carefully buries the future babies and places small branches and dry leaves on top of the hole, thereby creating a large flooring. After only 9 months, the young animals will see the light of day and will also learn to live, hunt and survive.

Common chameleon chooses a home in forests with vegetation and trees, but in deserts it takes refuge in sandy abandoned burrows of other animals. Habitat occurs in North Africa, Southern Turkey, Syria and Spain, on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus (Poti, Sukhumi), and on the islands of the Mediterranean Sea.

What does a chameleon eat?

For content Every reptile needs a terrarium, and the chameleon is no exception. The size of the terrarium is 40*40*70, with several ventilation holes. The temperature in it should be 23-30 degrees during the day, lower at night, and 15 degrees during hibernation. Chameleon I’m used to abundant humidity, so you should spray the entire terrarium with vegetation every day, and the more vegetation, the better, and driftwood won’t hurt either. In addition, install lamps with a reflector to provide additional heat.

With meals There won’t be any special problems, because now a sufficient number of food mixtures for chameleons are sold, which are based on insects, cockroaches, and locusts. Chameleons They do not know how to drink water from a bowl, which is why they need constant humidification of the home. You can solve this problem by purchasing a special fountain. But this does not mean that, having purchased such a device, you will not spray the terrarium! It is also advisable to water the reptile with a pipette once every two weeks.

VIDEO: ABOUT CASKING CHAMELEONS

IN THIS VIDEO YOU CAN SEE HOW CHAMELEONS MANAGE TO CASK SO PERFECTLY

These fantastic creatures have always attracted attention with their amazing properties. What kind of animal is this chameleon? The description, changes in color, features of maintenance and behavior - everything about these reptiles that have survived to this day is amazing. It's hard to deny yourself the pleasure of having such an exotic animal at home. And then the question arises: “What do chameleons eat and how can we make the animal feel comfortable?”

Heat lovers

In the area, the climate is dry and very warm. That is why more than half of all species, and there are about ninety of them, live in Madagascar. Many species populations have chosen Africa and India. And only one - the common chameleon - is found in southern Europe.

In the south of Spain, farmers and homeowners have adapted to keeping chameleons as protection against flies: a saucer of honey placed in an open place attracts insects from around the room, and the chameleon can only “harvest.”

I sit high, I look far away

There are only a few species of chameleons known that lead a terrestrial lifestyle, while the rest prefer to live in trees. The natural coloration of the foliage and bark of plants is ideal for making the small lizard with the ability to mimic virtually invisible to enemies and potential prey. The chameleon's body is perfectly adapted to living among the branches: thanks to its long, tenacious tail and the structure of its paws, the animal can easily hold onto the thinnest branches. The chameleon has five webbed toes on each paw; when grasping a support, they are located on different sides: two on one side, three on the other. The lumpy skin provides additional adhesion to the surface. By the way, a chameleon’s tail cannot grow back, like other lizards.

Diamond Eye

The chameleon is a unique animal in every way. Among other things, they can do something that no other reptile can do - look in different directions at the same time.

Hidden in thick leathery folds of the eyes (only the pupil remains on the surface), not only do they have all-round vision, but they also do it independently of each other! One eye, for example, looks out for prey in front and to the sides, and the other at this time watches the rear: is there any danger behind? At the same time, a chameleon’s vision is quite sharp: they are able to see an insect at a distance of up to ten meters.

Go away, there's no one here

The only creature fully worthy of the title of master of camouflage among animals is the chameleon. The color of its skin can change, although not instantly, but very quickly. Why does a chameleon change color? Skin pigmentation depends on several factors:

1. The emotional state of the animal. Red, brown, black are a sign of aggression, pale colors are a sign of fear.

2. Changes in environmental conditions. For example, with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, the skin also becomes very dark.

3. A healthy, comfortable chameleon on the hunt is colored green-brown, matching the color of the foliage.

Contrary to popular myths, a chameleon is not able to copy a pattern on a carpet or pretend to be an exotic flower. The maximum that representatives of some species are capable of is to repeat the veins of a leaf and take a pose that makes them look like this very leaf, which in itself is already amazing. The animal can spend several hours in such an uncomfortable position until the hunt is successful.

What amazing natural mechanism helps them camouflage so successfully?

Subcutaneous palette

For many years, the question of how and why a chameleon changes color remained open. The veil of secrecy began to lift when sufficiently powerful microscopes appeared, which gave rise to the development of cell theory. It turned out that special cells - chromatophores containing various pigments - are responsible for the color of the skin, hair and even the iris of the eyes of all living creatures.

The ability to move pigment in skin cells explains the unique ability of chameleons to camouflage, scientifically called physiological color change. Depending on the color of the pigment contained in chromatophores, they are divided into many subspecies: the most famous are melanophores. Melanin is the darkest, so it was on its example that this unusual phenomenon was studied. It turned out that color changes are achieved by distributing the pigment throughout the cell or by concentrating it in the center. In the first case, the color of this particular cell is the brightest, in the second, the pigmentation of cells lying deeper is manifested.

This entire complex system is controlled by nerve impulses: the connection between the effect of mimicry and the visual centers of the animal has been absolutely proven. The influence of hormones and other sensory organs on the pigmentation of chameleons is also being studied.

The food comes on its own

What does a chameleon eat in the wild? The usual food of these reptiles is all kinds of insects. As a rule, at the beginning of the hunt, the animal takes a wait-and-see position on a branch, practically merging with the surrounding background, and the wait begins, which can last for hours.

If careless prey appears within reach, the chameleon instantly “shoots” its tongue in its direction - and in a split second the fly or bug ends up in its mouth. The chameleon's tongue deserves a separate description: it is unusually long, in a calm state it hides in its mouth, twisted into a spring, and is charged with energy so that at the right moment it can overtake the victim with enormous speed and power. The tip of the tongue is sticky, which allows the chameleon not only to reach the target, but also to hold it.

If the mountain doesn't move...

A chameleon looks funny when it decides that its prey will not get close enough to attack: in such cases, it slowly begins to move in the desired direction. With one eye he fixates on the target, with the other he tirelessly examines the surroundings. With a barely noticeable movement, he lifts his front leg, moves it forward slightly, releases it and moves his tail forward, having first moved his hind leg. Moreover, the limbs are able to move like this: first the left, then the right, and not alternately, as we are used to seeing in other quadrupeds. All this is completely silent and looks like slow motion.

By the way, despite the fact that chameleons prefer a sedentary lifestyle, if necessary, they can run quite quickly and even jump from branch to branch.

Outside their natural habitat, chameleons feel comfortable in terrariums with a width and length of at least half a meter and a height of more than a meter. If the specimen is especially large, the container for it should be even more spacious. The optimal temperature during the day is +30 ... +32 o C, at night - +22 ... +24 o C, and no drafts!

If there are several individuals, you need to arrange the terrarium where the chameleons live in such a way that each has its own spacious area - these creatures guard their territory quite zealously.

A “day” should last at least twelve hours, which means additional ones are needed. Your pet will really like it if, at different levels of the terrarium, in addition to living plants in pots, there are twigs and driftwood placed on which he can climb.

A chameleon in nature licks moisture from plant leaves; it cannot drink from containers. Therefore, it is necessary to install a pump drinker in the terrarium. Waterfalls with continuously flowing water look very stylish. Such drinking bowls provide sufficient moisture and allow animals to quench their thirst without difficulty.

Master, I'm hungry

What do chameleons eat when kept at home? The main food for any of the species of these creatures is everything that flies, crawls, can be caught and swallowed, but is not poisonous. Chameleon is an insectivorous animal. Dragonflies, butterflies, flies, beetles and others, others. Never offer your pet wasps or bees. However, instinct will tell the chameleon that it is not worth eating, because it is fraught with painful death from a bite to the tongue. Crickets are considered the optimal food in terms of nutritional content.

But insects are not the only thing chameleons eat. Adults with an appetite diversify their diet with fruits and some soft vegetables. Tastes may vary: some will prefer an apple, others will prefer a banana. You will have to find out your pet's preferences through experience. Fruits must be cut into pieces and placed on branches and leaves of plants, but so that they do not fall down. If you are too lazy to bother, you can feed the animal by hand or with tweezers.

Along with crickets, locusts and feeding cockroaches are popular. In large cities, live food can be bought at pet stores, but if this is not possible, you will have to worry about breeding insects yourself. Their health and life expectancy directly depend on what chameleons eat.

Food is healthy and harmful

Of the crickets, the brownie cricket is considered the most useful and nutritious. It is disease resistant and reproduces well without requiring additional heating. The largest ones - two-spotted - can be dangerous for a chameleon due to their sharp and hard wings and their habit of biting. They also sing very loudly, which can be quite annoying. Most exotic reptile owners prefer the banana cricket. He is large, soft and unobtrusive. But it needs heating and loves to eat its relatives.

Locusts are superior to crickets in nutritional value, but breeding them will require considerable effort: you will need large heated terrariums.

Cockroaches are much worse as food: less protein and more fat. In order for them to become worthy food for a chameleon, they will have to be fed protein foods and fresh fruits. Feeding cockroaches are bred at high temperatures and low humidity.

Sometimes - as a change - chameleons can be offered to feast on insect larvae, for example. This is a “holiday” food, very fatty and, if overused, can lead to liver problems.

Young chameleons need to be sprinkled with a special supplement containing vitamins and minerals during the growth period of young crickets.

Chameleons are widely known for their unique ability among land animals to change skin color; they even got their name from the name of a mythical creature capable of changing appearance - the Chameleon. These animals form a separate family in the suborder Squamate, their closest relatives are iguanas and agamas. There are 85 known species of chameleons.

Panther chameleon.

The body length of most chameleons is 20-30 cm, the largest species - the Ostaleti chameleon - reaches a length of 50-60 cm, and the tiniest chameleon is considered to be Brookesia minor, whose body length barely reaches 3.5-4.5 cm.

African dwarf chameleon (Rhampholeon temporalis).

Although chameleons are systematically close to lizards, they have so many unique structural features that they bear little resemblance even to closely related species.

The body of chameleons is flattened from the sides, the back is noticeably arched and decorated with a crest, which is why chameleons give the impression of being eternally hunched over.

Their head is even more intricately decorated: in some species it is crowned with a crest, in others there are outgrowths on the muzzle resembling horns, in others the occipital outgrowths give the head the shape of a helmet. True, such decorations are clearly visible only in males; in females they are weakly expressed.

Jackson's chameleon (Chamaeleo jacksonii).

Chameleons' eyelids are tightly fused and cover their eyes almost completely, leaving only a small hole in the center for the pupil, which makes the eyes of these animals seem bulging. Chameleons rotate them like telescopic tubes in all directions (360° viewing angle), moreover, the rotation of the eyes can be carried out independently of each other. This eye structure allows chameleons to focus on small moving objects with the highest accuracy. But chameleons, like snakes, do not have ears. However, they perceive sounds with a frequency of 200-600 Hz.

Eye of Parson's chameleon (Calumma parsonii).

Another hunting device is its unusual tongue. In chameleons it can reach the length of the body; the tongue has the shape of a stalk with an extension at the end. Insects stick to this “spoon,” which the chameleon pulls into the oral cavity along with its tongue.

The tail of most chameleons is long and curled into a characteristic spiral when calm.

Only a few small species have very short, stubby tails that cannot curl. This bizarre portrait is completed by the unusual structure of the paws. Chameleons have five-fingered fingers, with the toes located perpendicular to the axis of the limb and opposed to each other: on the front paws, two toes are directed outward, and three inward, and on the hind paws, vice versa. Chameleons have rough skin, with individual sharp scales forming ridges and serrations on the chin, neck and back.

Chameleons' feet are ideal grasping tools, allowing them to hold onto thin branches.

It is believed that chameleons can change color randomly to match the color of their environment. This statement is only partly true. In fact, each type of chameleon has its own specific coloring, which changes relatively little under normal conditions. Among chameleons there are solidly colored, spotted and striped species. Natural coloring can be very inconspicuous (brown, gray) or bright (green, greenish-blue); in variegated species, certain parts of the body can be orange or red.

Male Yemen chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) in natural coloring.

The color is due to the presence of special pigmented cells in the skin - chromatophores. They have a branched shape and can change their size (shrink, expand). When chromatophores of one color contract, others expand at the same time, so the area of ​​​​body parts of different colors can change. Each type of chameleon can change color only within the range of colors given to it by nature. For example, a brown chameleon can darken to almost black or fade to almost white, but it cannot turn blue or striped, and conversely, a striped chameleon will show subtle stripes with any change in color. Despite such limitations, chameleons' ability to transform is amazing. Typically, chameleons only slightly change the shade of their natural coloring, adjusting it in accordance with the environment, but when “overwhelmed” by strong feelings they can radically transform. A frightened chameleon often turns pale, while an aggressive one can darken to black or become covered with a bright pattern.

The female Yemen chameleon does not have a "helmet". On the body of the actively “greening” female, traces of the original “calm” coloring are visible - small specks and very pale stripes.

Chameleons are inhabitants of warm countries. The center of species diversity is Madagascar, where many endemic and rare species not found outside its borders live; many chameleons also live in Africa. Outside this region, chameleons can only be found in India, Sri Lanka, the Middle East and Southern Europe (1-2 species each). Most chameleons live in tropical rainforests and stay in the canopy; some African chameleons are terrestrial and live on the forest floor or burrow in the desert. Chameleons are sedentary; they occupy a small area, which they protect from neighbors. Males allow females into their area, but drive away other males. Chameleons move very slowly; they slowly clasp branches with their paws, often swaying back and forth; sometimes they freeze on branches motionless for a long time.

Chameleons move clumsily on land and cannot swim at all.

Chameleons feed on insects (ants, butterflies, caterpillars, praying mantises, crickets), worms, snails; large species can sometimes eat small birds and lizards. Their diet may occasionally include shoots and buds of plants. Chameleons first stalk their prey from ambush, rotating their eyes in all directions, then slowly creep up to it, at the last moment pointing both eyes at it, and then throw out their tongue at a speed of 0.04-0.05 s! The tearing force can reach 50 g; the chameleon grabs heavier prey with its jaws.

The victim is glued to the tongue thanks to sticky saliva and a notch at the end that creates a vacuum effect (suction cup principle).

Chameleon mating fights come down to psychological warfare. Having met, the males are covered with very bright, quickly changing war paint, open their mouths, hiss loudly, in a word, in every possible way they frighten the opponent. Often, after watching such a “movie,” the weaker opponent takes to his heels. If this does not happen, then the chameleons begin to butt with horns and bite, but do not injure each other. Females of some species have special seminal receptacles in which sperm can be stored for a long time, so once mated, the female can bear offspring several times. Females lay 4-80 small eggs covered with a parchment shell. To do this, they descend to the ground and dig a hole.

A female chameleon can spend several days digging a hole.

Two-striped and motley chameleons are ovoviviparous: after 5-7 months of pregnancy, they lay eggs in a transparent sticky shell on the surface of the leaves and chameleons immediately hatch from them. Chameleon eggs do not begin to develop immediately; at first they are in a “sleeping” state and only then does the development of the embryo begin. Therefore, the total duration of incubation is enormous - 3-12 months! Newborn chameleons are fully developed, independent, and grow rapidly, reaching adult size in about a year.

The bizarre Labordi chameleon (Furcifer labordi) spends 8 months of its life in an egg, and dies 4-5 months after birth. This is one of the shortest living species.

Chameleons have neither sharp teeth nor poison, so they are attractive prey for many predators (snakes, birds). Interestingly, Smith's dwarf chameleon uses different patterns of camouflage coloration against different predators—color-blind birds and color-blind snakes.

Ostaleti's chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti) demonstrates perfect camouflage.

Due to relatively low fertility and limited range, many chameleon species have become rare. The chameleons of Madagascar are especially in need of protection; many Madagascar species are listed in the Red Book. At the same time, chameleons are often kept in home terrariums as unpretentious and very attractive pets.

The panther chameleon is one of the favorite inhabitants of home terrariums.

Chameleons are a family of scaly lizards that stand out clearly from other species with a number of very unusual features unique to them.

The name "" has very ancient roots: in the mythology of some countries it was the name of a strange creature that could quickly change its appearance.

General characteristics

Currently, 193 species of these unusual lizards are known, most of them are home to the island Madagascar. The remaining members of the family live in Africa, in the extreme south and extreme north of the Arabian Peninsula, on the west coast of India, as well as on small islands in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. More recently, several new species of chameleons living in the steppes of California and Florida have been discovered, leaving scientists confused.

The natural habitat of chameleons is trees; they live, sleep, and hunt on the branches. Only a few species decided to move to land and now live in forests, African savannas, steppes and deserts.

Chameleons are medium-sized lizards, their body length ranges from 17 to 30 cm. However, there are exceptions: the Madagascar Chamaeleo oustaleti grows to 60 centimeters or more, and representatives of the genus Brookesia are not only the smallest chameleons, but also one of the tiniest reptiles on Earth - only 1.3-4.5 centimeters.

The body of chameleons is strongly flattened on the sides and in many species resembles an oval in shape. Males have various formations on their heads: horns, combs, drills. In females, these “decorations” are either rudimentary in nature or do not appear at all. The limbs are long, adapted for climbing trees. The fingers of chameleons are more like claws - grouped in groups of 2-3 and covered with solid skin up to the penultimate phalanges, they are directed in opposite directions. This finger shape is great for climbing tree branches. The tail often serves as a fifth limb; lizards can wrap it around branches.

Change in body color

This unique ability has made chameleons famous throughout the world and made them probably the most popular lizard. Which, in principle, is not strange, because few people are able to change their appearance so dramatically and even do it so quickly. The secret of this amazing ability of chameleons lies in the special structure of their skin. The skin consists of several separate layers, which differ from each other in structure. The topmost layer is transparent and serves to refract light and also performs a protective function. The deeper layers of the skin contain special cells - chromatophores, which contain pigments of different colors (black, dark brown, red and yellow), and each layer contains chromatophores of different colors. During the contraction of chromatophores, they contain a concentration of colored pigments in the center of the cell. This causes the lizard's skin color to change. The combination of colors from different layers gives the chameleon different color shades.

The color change occurs very quickly - less than half a minute. Interestingly, chameleons can change the color not only of the entire body, but also of individual parts, for example, the eyelids or tail.

But what makes a chameleon quickly change its color? It was previously believed that lizards needed this feature primarily for camouflage against the background of the environment. However, recent studies have shown that changing color for a chameleon is primarily a means of communication with its own kind, and not a means of protection and camouflage.

Also, many other factors of external (high or low temperature, bright light) and internal (fear, irritation, hunger) origin can also provoke a change in color.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the chameleon’s reaction during a threat - the lizard’s body swells, increasing slightly in size, the body acquires a menacing black (less often dark brown) color, and at the same time also hisses like a snake.

Vision device

The structure of a chameleon's eyes is also of considerable interest. Their eyes are quite large and complex; they are covered with a continuous eyelid, in which there is only a small hole for the pupil. However, this did not prevent the chameleon from acquiring the most accurate vision focusing system among lizards. Thanks to this, lizards are incredibly capable of determining the distance to objects around them, and just as clearly see objects at a very close distance from the eye.

Another very interesting feature is that the eyes of the reptile master of camouflage are able to move independently of each other, so, for example, the left eye can look forward, and the right eye back or to the right. Thanks to this, the animal receives a picture with a viewing angle of 360 degrees.

Ideal language

When you first look at a chameleon, thoughts like: how can such a slow and clumsy animal feed itself and generally survive in this world? But upon closer acquaintance with him, these questions begin to disappear. Yes, he doesn't look like a successful predator, but he is one. The chameleon knows how to perfectly camouflage and wait, and its unique vision allows it to see literally everything that is happening around. All that was left was the fishing weapon (the murder weapon, if you will). This very tool is the tongue.

As researchers and scientists say, the chameleon's tongue is the world's most advanced "catapult", it is incredibly effective, simple and also easy to control. Quote: “It has no analogues either in biology or mechanics” - this is an ideal fishing tool!

We will not go into details about the device of the “miracle of the tongue” (since you can find many publications on this topic on the Internet), but we will just list its key features:

• the tongue can “shoot” over a distance of one and a half lengths of the lizard’s body and catch the victim using a special suction cup;
• It takes one twentieth of a second for the tongue to reach an insect!
• in 3 seconds a chameleon can catch 4 insects with its tongue!
• tongue acceleration is an incredible 50g!

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The chameleon is a representative of reptiles and belongs to the order of squamates. This colorful lizard lives in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World. Body sizes depend on the species, and range from 2 to 60 cm. In total, there are about 135 species in the wild.

The lizard has a laterally compressed body, a powerful head, on the raised occipital part of which there are ridges or tubercles. Some even have horns. All this decoration belongs to males; females have only rudimentary embryos. Compared to the body of an exotic animal, a chameleon's legs are thin and long.

But the feet have tenacious toes with small claws. The first two fingers are connected to each other and are opposed to the connected three other fingers. This turns out to be a claw, with the help of which it stays on trees, wrapping its legs around the trunk.

The lizard's tail is unusual - it can curl into a spiral and serves as additional support. Lazily moving its feet along the branch, the lizard seems so clumsy. Well, he stopped, wrapped his tail around the branch and froze. Only his huge eyes constantly rotate in different directions and look at the world without depending on each other. He doesn't even have to turn his head to find food for himself. Eyes are the main assistants in hunting. The pupil is hidden by fused eyelids, leaving only a small hole for all-round visibility.

The chameleon is also interesting because it can change color. It is believed that in this way it adapts to its environment and camouflages itself among foliage and trees. But scientists, observing him, prefer a different kind of assumption. He conveys his feelings and reacts to the outside world, i.e. – hungry, scared, this is my territory, I’m cold or it’s mating season. It changes color due to the unusual structure of the skin, which are called chromatophores. Chromatophores contain multi-colored pigments located inside skin scales.

The chameleon leads a solitary lifestyle, feeding on insects, sometimes eating plant foods, fruits and drinking water. Some eat smaller lizards and small birds. He can survive for a long time without food, but not without water. It hunts while sitting motionless on a branch, waiting for a “gazeless” insect and catches it, shooting out its tongue in a split second. The tongue is strong and fast, when capturing the victim, the tip of the tongue bends, forming a cup and..... grab! The tongue acts like a suction cup, and the poor thing that gets caught on the hunter’s tongue cannot escape or escape. A cautious predator knows how to quietly sneak up on prey it sees with its own eyes.

If two chameleons meet on each other's path, a whole performance begins. Males hiss and swell, thereby demonstrating their power. They can fight, but usually they go their separate ways.