Looking for:
Cameleon colorCameleon color -
Chameleons mostly live in the rain forests and deserts of Africa. The color of their skin helps them blend in with their habitats. Chameleons that hang out in trees are usually green.
Those that live in deserts are most often brown. They often change color to warm up or cool down. Turning darker helps warm the animals because the dark colors absorb more heat. They also switch shades to communicate with other chameleons, using bright colors to attract potential mates or warn enemies. So how exactly do chameleons change colors? The outer layer of their skin is see-through.
Beneath that are layers of special cells filled with pigment—the substance that gives plants and animals including you color. To display a new color, the brain sends a message for these cells to get bigger or smaller. As this happens, pigments from different cells are released, and they mix with each other to create new skin tones. For instance, red and blue pigment may mix to make the chameleon look purple. Over species of chameleons exist, ranging from the size of your thumbnail to that of a house cat.
Some species of chameleon such as the tiger chameleon are endangered, but others like the Drakensberg dwarf chameleon are not. No matter their differences, all chameleons have a prize pair of eyes. Their peepers can move in two different directions at once, giving the lizards a panoramic view of their surroundings.
This eye-popping reptile really knows how to scale up the cool factor. All rights reserved. Funny Fill-In. Amazing Animals. Weird But True! Party Animals. Try This! Explore More. Chameleons change colors to attract mates, regulate body temperature, or tell intruders to stay away. Common Name: Meller's Chameleon. Scientific Name: Trioceros melleri. Type: Reptiles. Diet: Carnivore.
Size: 21 inches. Weight: Explore more! Amazing animals Watch to discover interesting facts about animals from all over the world. Save the Earth tips Find out how you can help make a difference. Endangered Species Act How this law protects animals. Pet Central Big or small, furry or scaly, we love pets and we know you do too. We've got photography tips, videos, photos of amazing pets, and more!
Chameleon - Wikipedia.
Chameleons are reptiles that are part of the iguana suborder. 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. 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. Chameleons have a full degree view and can focus their eyes quickly and enlarge what they are looking at like a camera lens.
Chameleons are loners. In fact, most of the time females don't want males to even come near them. During the rare moments when the female is willing to be touched, the male will approach for mating.
A brighter colored male chameleon is more likely to convince a female to mate than a duller colored male. Chameleons eat insects and birds. To catch their prey, they creep along very slowly. Once the prey is in reach, their suction cup tongue shoots out and sticks to the insect. Their tongues can be as twice as long as their bodies when stretched out to catch prey, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. The insect is drawn back into the lizard's mouth to be digested by strong stomach acids.
Water is very important to chameleon growth and health. They either slurp water up using their tongues or the inhale it. These species can give birth to eight to 30 young at one time after a gestation of four to six months. While the young are born live instead of in an egg, they started as an egg. These mothers incubate the eggs, minus a shell, inside of her body instead of laying them in a nest.
Other chameleon species lay eggs that have an incubation period of four to 24 months, depending on species, according to the San Diego Zoo. The size of the chameleon predicts how many eggs she will lay. Small chameleon species lay two to four eggs while larger chameleons lay 80 to eggs at one time. No matter what species, chameleons become mature at 1 to 2 years of age. The exception is the Madagascan chameleon.
It has been labeled as the vertebrate with the world's shortest life span, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Their eggs hatch in November, the young become adults in January, they lay eggs in February, and then the entire adult population perishes after a lifespan of just three months. Some species that are considered in danger of extinction are the tiger chameleon, Elandsberg dwarf chameleon , Namoroka leaf chameleon and the Decary's leaf chameleon.
Alina Bradford. Alina Bradford is a contributing writer for Live Science. Over the past 16 years, Alina has covered everything from Ebola to androids while writing health, science and tech articles for major publications. She has multiple health, safety and lifesaving certifications from Oklahoma State University.
Alina's goal in life is to try as many experiences as possible. To date, she has been a volunteer firefighter, a dispatcher, substitute teacher, artist, janitor, children's book author, pizza maker, event coordinator and much more.
No comments:
Post a Comment