Interesting Facts About Chameleons

When people think of chameleons, they often think of lizards that can change color on a whim to blend in with their surroundings. This is not entirely true, and it is also not the only thing about chameleons that is unique and interesting. These lizards have evolved with some very strange characteristics that set them off from their cousins in the lizard world. The following are just a few interesting facts about chameleons that you may not have known.

Chameleons have feet that are much more like those of birds than they are like other lizard’s feet. Their feet are zygodactyl. This means that they have two pincer-like ‘fingers’ sticking out toward the rear and two toward the front on each foot. These zygodactyl feet make it easy for chameleons to hold on to branches and twigs, where they spend a lot of their time.

Another thing that aids in a chameleon’s ability to hold on to and climb branches and twigs are their prehensile tails. Their tails are like monkey tails in that they can wrap them around things and hold on with them. Not all chameleons have this characteristic, but many do.

Chameleons have very long tongues that aid in their hunting. Most chameleon species have tongues that are nearly as long as the lizard’s body. There are also some chameleons that have tongues that are up to twice as long as the animal they are attached to.

Chameleons are not the only lizards in the world that can change their color. However, they do have the most diverse, drastic and vibrant colors and color changes. They are able to do this because of several layers of cells that are located beneath their clear skin. Some of these cells contain pigment while others are capable of reflecting the color from light. These cells react to the chameleon’s mood, the temperature of its environment, and the amount of light available. Contrary to popular belief, chameleons are not able to change their color at will to match their surroundings. Their color does change to help them blend in at times, but a very calm chameleon would have a difficult time blending in with white surroundings because a very calm chameleon is typically all green. 

Chameleons can move each of their eyes independently of the other one. This means that a chameleon can focus on two potential food sources at once and they can be in just about any direction. This is actually a rather cute feature of the chameleon. They can look kind of goofy when they are moving their eyes about.

There are roughly 134 known chameleon species on Earth. Nearly half of them can only be found on the island of Madagascar, fifty-nine of them to be exact. This is yet another good reason why habitat conservation on the island is of the utmost importance.

As you can see, chameleons are some of the coolest, most interesting lizards in the world. There is even a species of chameleon whose head looks like that of a triceratops. It doesn’t get much more interesting than that.

Sources

Chameleon, retrieved 3/9/10, animals.howstuffworks.com/reptiles/chameleon-info.htm

Raxworthy, Christopher, A Truly Bizarre Lizard, retrieved 3/9/10, pbs.org/edens/madagascar/creature3.htm