Madagascar Chameleon Parade

Chameleons are real aliens.

Why am I saying that? Five years ago, one such alien lived at my place, and this was the most unusual animal I have ever kept. Unhurried, always sleepy, but in a split second firing his tongue at a cricket creeping past. I could watch him for hours ...

And the other day I saw these astronauts in the wild, in Madagascar.

To meet a chameleon in the local jungle is like a squirrel in a forest near Moscow. The fact is that on this fourth-largest island of our planet about one third of all species of chameleons found in nature live. And almost all of these species are endemic, that is, they are found only in Madagascar.

In just one day, I saw about a dozen different chameleons - neither give nor take, they decided to arrange a parade for me, painted in all the colors of the rainbow, posing on the branches, and several even fell on my head with vines ...

I’m not sure that I can reliably determine all the species of these handsome men I have encountered, you correct me if you made a mistake.

In general, chameleons are unusual in everything: both in appearance and in the ability to acquire the most unimaginable colors, and in the way of hunting insects ... By the way, their brain is very different in structure from the brain of lizards and snakes, in structure it is closest to the brain of crocodiles and birds. The legs of the chameleons are arranged quite strangely: they are very long, skinny and have 5 fingers, which are two and three fused together. Thus, the legs are somewhat similar to claws of crayfish.

The tail also serves as a grasping organ and can fold in a spiral fashion.

Even more remarkable is the structure of the eyes of the chameleons. They are covered with thick, intergrown centuries, so that in the middle there is only a small hole for the pupil. Both eyes are completely independent of each other. A chameleon can look with its right eye forward, and with its left - left or down, for example.

Therefore, to view the surroundings, a handsome man does not need to turn his head.

Panther Chameleon is one of the largest and most colorful species of chameleons. In addition to Madagascar, it can be found on the small neighboring islands: Nosy Be, St. Mary, Nosy Mangabe, Nosy Buraha, Nosy Tanikeli, Mauritius, Reunion. They primarily inhabit coastal areas with a fairly warm and humid climate. Panther chameleons, like many other species, like to soak up after a dream and warm themselves well in the rays of the rising sun. These chameleons can be safely attributed to heat-loving species. The easiest way to look for them is on the upper parts of the branches facing the sun.

Panther chameleons often coexist with people, populating various low trees and shrubs in the immediate vicinity of human habitation. And in general, they manifest themselves as a species that is resistant to external influences. For example, if the forests that are part of their habitat are cut down and then plowed up, then panther chameleons immediately settle on the resulting spaces, displacing other species that previously lived here.

This species can take on the most vivid and unexpected hues, often completely non-environmental)

They change color rather from mood.

I could not determine this species.

Apparently, this is a young Parson chameleon, but I could be wrong.

If I was not mistaken, then this is one of the largest species of chameleons, growing up to 65 cm in length.

Their homeland is the east coast of Madagascar, the north of the island, and also about. St. Mary They live in rainforests. There are 2 subspecies. In nominative Calumma parsonii parsonii, the dorsal crest is weakly expressed, while in Calumma parsonii cristifer it is, although small.

I liked this helmet-bearing handsome man the most, but I still could not determine him.

Carpet or pearl chameleon.

These medium-sized chameleons usually do not exceed 20 cm in length. Females are more colorful in color than males. The most striking coloration of females differ during mating or pregnancy.

This chameleon is found throughout Madagascar, with the exception of the north and northwest. It lives in a tropical rain forest, and in dry and in wet grass savannas. Very often carpet chameleons are found even on hedges and meadows.

Chameleon Globifer (Calumma globifer).

It mainly inhabits low trees and shrubs along the edge of the tropical forest of eastern Madagascar. They are found at altitudes of up to 1,500 meters above sea level.

The body of the chameleon is mainly painted in yellow-green tones. They have a large head with large beautiful eyes. On the face of the males there are 2 small outgrowths. Females also have them, but in a reduced state.

By the way, panther chameleon is often found in human habitats and is not afraid of them. For example, during shooting among shrubs, it can easily climb onto your shoulder or head)

Yes, keep in mind he is scratched badly by his claws ...