~ Aqua and Yellow ~

Distribution of Chameleons around the world

It's changing colors like politicians.

Source

Unknown, Skeleton of a Chameleon, from a French Museum of radiography

Malagasy giant chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti) ; Cameroon two-horned mountain chameleon (Trioceros montium) ; Cape dwarf chameleon (Bradypodion pumilum)

Reptiles and Amphibians of the World. Written by Hans Hvass. Illustrated by Wilhelm Eigener. Originally published in 1958.

Internet Archive

Das Tierreich - Ernst Bade - 1896 - via Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin

elephant, panther, and chameleon

illustrations for "der renner" by hugo von trimberg, south tirol, c. 1468

source: Cologny, Fondation Martin Bodmer, Cod. Bodmer 91, fol. 165r, 72r, and 160r

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Changing color can be an effective way to hide, but there's an even better method: be smaller than an eraser! The nano-chameleon takes advantage of the chameleon's color-changing camoflage, and it's miniscule size (less than 22 mm (0.8 in) long including the tail) means that it's often overlooked by predators. It is also considered the world's smallest reptile.

(Image: A nano-chameleon () sitting on a researcher's finger, from Glaw et al. 2021)

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Hi, I am a new follower and have been happy to see these cute stuffies in my feed each day. 😊 Coincidentally, yesterday I went thrift shopping and picked this little fella up for less than $1! He’s in perfect shape, and so cuddly! Do you know any history about him? Thank you! He’s my first Jellycat 🧡

Hi! That is Vividie Armadillo!

A cutie and one of the best quirky Jellycats out there. A fantastic thrift shop find as well since this guy was only available for a short time in 2021 before being retired. Congrats on your new friend and first Jellycat!🥰

There was also a Jellycat Vividie Chameleon and a Vividie Dino, but the Armadillo is my favorite! He seems to be the most popular out of the three.

[ID: a scratchy llustration of a green chameleon perched on a dark branch and facing to the right. It is on a simple background with faded branches and a gradient between green and orange. Signature text reads “Featherbone”. End]

Jackson’s chameleon, aka three-horned chameleon. Like all chameleons, they change color depending on mood, temperature, and health.

Animal of the Day!

Madagascan pimple-nose Chameleon (Calumma nasutum)

(Photo by David Udvardy)

Conservation Status- Least Concern

Habitat- Madagascar

Size (Weight/Length)- 10 cm

Diet- Small insects; Snails; Worms

Cool Facts- Very little is known about the extremely rare and extremely tiny Madagascan pimple-nose chameleon. While there is predicted to be a large population, these tiny chameleons are so small that they’re simply difficult to find. Despite being only a few centimeters long, their tongue is twice the length of their body. The Madagascan pimple-nose chameleon uses slow movement and camouflage to catch ants and crickets. A prehensile tail helps them to hold onto the smallest of twigs. While they can’t change colors as extremely as other species, these chameleons can switch between different shades of brown as they move from light to shadow.

Rating- 11/10 (Can easily fit on the tip of your little finger.)

Inspired by the color-changing ability of chameleons, researchers have developed a sustainable technique to 3D-print multiple, dynamic colors from a single ink. "By designing new chemistries and printing processes, we can modulate structural color on the fly to produce color gradients not possible before," said Ying Diao, an associate professor of chemistry and chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. The study appears in the journal PNAS.

Continue Reading.

Taxonomy Tournament: Reptiles

Iguania. This suborder of lizards contains iguanas, chameleons, and frilled lizards

Gekkota. This infraorder is made up of geckos, small typically nocturnal lizards

Is this whole… situation cute? 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/752183873302717

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Link for everyone - this is really anthropomorphizing. In this video, we see a young veiled chameleon glass surfing in a pet store (repeatedly walking into the glass and trying to figure out how to get past it). This is common in lizards, and they might do it because husbandry is wrong or if they’re stressed, but they’ll also do it if they’re bored or understimulated. This video features a young child “hugging the glass and the chameleon hugs back” (that’s not what’s happening), and the adult in the video asks what animal it is and says they’re thinking about going back for it. The whole video acts like it’s wrong for a chameleon to be in an enclosure.

There’s a lot of misunderstanding animal body language here and assuming that all animals would be unhappy to be in an enclosure, which just isn’t true. This chameleon is probably glass surfing because they’re new to the pet store and feeling a little stressed.

Now, I’ve said before that I don’t think chameleons are good pets for anyone, but that’s especially true for people who are unprepared and have young children. Chameleons aren’t handleable pets, their care is extremely difficult, and they honestly shouldn’t be sold in pet stores at all.

Just not a fan of anything about this one, really.

Mediterranean chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon)

Reptiles and Amphibians of the World. Written by Hans Hvass. Illustrated by Wilhelm Eigener. Originally published in 1958.

Internet Archive

A female Malagasy giant chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti) in Madagascar, Africa

by Charles Sharp