Most chameleons are extremely territorial and prefer to live in solitude. They join together only during mating season, during which time competing males become particularly combative.
Despite the popular myth, chameleons do not change color to camouflage themselves with their surroundings as a protective measure against predators. Chameleons actually choose home surroundings that closely match their natural colors. A chameleon who normally appears bright green will opt for residence among the green forest leaves. The color changes, as with those of a mood ring, are a means of communication, conveying moods that range from warning others off of their territory to welcoming potential mates.
It reaches 14, feet, so around three miles. Kenya in the Republic of Kenya. Where do chameleons live in the wild? Chameleons are primarily found on the continent of Africa, with high concentrations in Madagascar. However, there are smaller numbers of chameleons living in Europe, the Middle East, and even Southern India.
Interestingly, there are even populations established elsewhere, outside their native range. Chameleons on the continent of Africa There are around species of chameleon that have been identified by science, and the vast majority of them are indigenous to the continent of Africa.
Africa has every climate imaginable, and chameleons live in most of them. Northern Africa - The northern portion of the continent is mostly arid deserts think Sahara , where there are actually several species of chameleon that thrive in the dryness. 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. The chameleons can change the structural arrangement of the upper cell layer by relaxing or exciting the skin, which leads to a change in color, researchers found.
They typically stay in trees or bushes, though some species do live on the ground. For example, the horned leaf chameleon lives in dead leaves on forest floors according to the National Wildlife Federation. Most chameleons have a prehensile tail that they use to wrap around tree branches.
Their hands and feet have large toes that help them cling to branches. Besides changing skin color, chameleons have another feature that no other animals have. Their eyes can move independently of each other, enabling them to look in two different directions at once. 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!
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