Blue Chameleon

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a b Maisano, Jessie (27 August 2003). "Chamaeleo calyptratus, Veiled Chameleon". Digimorph. University of Texas at Austin . Retrieved January 10, 2012.

The elastic recoil of a chameleon’s tongue propels them to accelerate the tongue to reach 100 km/hour in 1/100 of a second. This amounts to over 41 g, the highest acceleration of any reptile, bird, or mammal and over four times that of an F16 fighter jet. It can also extend to over double the length of the chameleon’s body. A modified hyoid bone has an extended entoglossal process, and the accelerator muscles are wrapped around this at rest. When these muscles contract, they squeeze structures known as intralingual sheets which shoot out like an unfolding telescope. Sharon Katz Cooper. "Chameleons". National Geographic Explorer. Archived from the original on 20 Aug 2008. The chameleon, literally translated as “ground lion” from the ancient Greek, is one of the most unique reptiles on the planet. Throughout Africa and Asia, chameleons sport spiralled prehensile tails and odd, tong-like feet, as well as a wide decorative variety of horns and crests. The largest species, the Parson’s chameleon ( Calumma pasonii) and Oustalet’s chameleon ( Furcifer oustaleti) come close to the size and weight of a small house cat. In contrast, the smallest species, the dwarf leaf chameleon ( Brookesia micra) can comfortably crouch on the head of a match. Left: A Parson’s chameleon (Calumma parsonii) is the largest chameleon species in the world – the size of a house cat. Right: A Brookesia micra chameleon – the smallest chameleon in the world Blending in and standing out

Keeping one eye on the past and the other on the future

Although nearly half of all chameleon species today live in Madagascar, this offers no basis for speculation that chameleons might originate from there. [30] In fact, it has recently been shown that chameleons most likely originated in mainland Africa. [15] It appears there were two distinct oceanic migrations from the mainland to Madagascar. The diverse speciation of chameleons has been theorized to have directly reflected the increase in open habitats (savannah, grassland, and heathland) that accompanied the Oligocene period. Monophyly of the family is supported by several studies. [31] The chameleons are probably far older than that, perhaps sharing a common ancestor with iguanids and agamids more than 100 mya (agamids being more closely related). Since fossils have been found in Africa, Europe, and Asia, chameleons were certainly once more widespread than they are today.

This means chameleons are primarily found in trees and very rarely on the ground amongst the leaves. Ott, Matthias; Schaeffel, Frank (1995). "A negatively powered lens in the chameleon". Nature. 373 (6516): 692–694. doi: 10.1038/373692a0. PMID 7854450. S2CID 4262985. Chameleons inhabit all kinds of tropical and mountain rain forests, savannas, and sometimes deserts and steppes. The typical chameleons from the subfamily Chamaeleoninae are arboreal, usually living in trees or bushes, although a few (notably the Namaqua chameleon) are partially or largely terrestrial. Most species from the subfamily Brookesiinae, which includes the genera Brookesia, Rieppeleon, and Rhampholeon, live low in vegetation or on the ground among leaf litter. Many species of chameleons are threatened by extinction. Declining chameleon numbers are due to habitat loss. [52] Reproduction Patricia Edmonds (2015). "The colourful Language of Chameleons". National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 11 Mar 2016.

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Sometimes called the White-Lined chameleon, this species comes mostly from central Madagascar. Males are usually green, while females display a wider variety of colors and banding. Carpet chameleons are bred and sold as pets throughout North America and around the world. Tusked Chameleon Sometimes called a Giant One-Horned chameleon, the Meller’s chameleon is the largest chameleon species not native to Madagascar. It is found in the savannas and interior mountains of East Africa, and can also be found in Tanzania, Malawi, and northern Mozambique. Generally reaching around 24 inches in length, specimens as large as 30 inches have been documented. This species is usually a lovely deep green with white stripes, with a stubby nose-like growth on its face. Meller’s chameleons are known to be especially aggressive, and usually don’t do well when placed with other lizards. Cameroon Sailfin Chameleon