the indian chameleon ( chamaeleo zeylanicus ) is a species of chameleon found in sri lanka , india , and other parts of south asia .

like other chameleons , this species has a long tongue , feet that are shaped into bifid claspers , a prehensile tail , independent eye movement , and the ability to change skin colour .

they move slowly with a bobbing or swaying movement and are usually arboreal .

strangely , they do not choose the background colour and may not even be able to perceive colour differences .

they are usually in shades of green or brown or with bands .

they can change colour rapidly and the primary purpose of colour change is for communication with other chameleons and for controlling body temperature by changing to dark colours to absorb heat .

indian chameleon

this article documents my personal experience with indian chameleon , shares its close - up photos along with a brief mention of its scientific info .
chaudhuri , anirban , arpita dutta and jayaditya purkayastha . 2015 . chamaeleo zeylanicus ( indian chameleon ) clutch size . herpetological review 46 ( 4 ) : 629 - 630
venugopal , p . d . 2010 . an updated and annotated list of indian lizards ( reptilia : sauria ) based on a review of distribution records and checklists of indian reptiles . journal of threatened taxa 2 ( 3 ) : 725 - 738 . - get paper here
chameleons are one of the most bizzare lizards of the world . they are mainly found from east africa abd madagascar but one species occurs in india i . e . indian chameleon . their distribution is through out india except the heavy rain fall region but due to their territorial and solitary nature indian chameleons are uncommon to rare in their habitat .
main distribution includes indian peninsula comprising of mainland india along with sri - lanka and pakistan . it is also found in other regions of south asia .
all chameleons are found in the old world , but most live in madagascar and africa . the rest are found in the middle east , a few on islands in the indian ocean , and one , the indian chameleon , in india , pakistan , and sri lanka . another , the common chameleon , is native to spain , portugal , the islands in the mediterranean sea , and the near east .
at birth indian chameleon is 50mm long . the longest recorded adult is 375mm . mating occurs in the months of august . egg laying occurs in october . incubation period varies from 82 days to 9 months .
later i gently picked the chameleon and placed it on a dried broken branch . chameleons are arboreal in nature and they uses their slender legs even as hands for balancing and getting hold of tree branches while moving . above pic shows indian chameleon slowing approaching towards my hand .
above photo was captured while opening the mouth of indian chameleon . you clearly see the inside of its mouth is pinkish white to dark pink in colour with teeth almost invisible and long tongue hidden deep inside . chameleon have very small pointed teeth which is useful to hold insects it catches with a sticky tongue .
the indian chameleon ( chamaeleo zeylanicus ) , despite its name , lives in sri lanka , parts of southern asia and india . it is typical of most lizards , in that it prefers to live in trees , rather than on the forest floor . europe’s only chameleon is the mediterranean chameleon ( chamaeleo chamaeleon ) . he lives in greece , spain , malta and italy .
as the structure of the chameleon ' s eye , allows the chameleon to have complete 360 degree vision around its body . this special adaptation , allows the chameleon to be able to hunt
of all chameleon species . three of those species— belalanda chameleon furcifer belalandaensis , bizarre - nosed chameleon calumma hafahafa , and namoroka leaf chameleon brookesia bonsi—are at critical risk , losing their habitat to slash - and - burn agricultural practices , logging for construction or charcoal , and cattle grazing .
10 . the american chameleon is not actually a chameleon . the american chameleon , or anole ( anolis carolinensis ) , is not a true chameleon , but a small lizard of the iguana family . it is found in the se united states and is noted for its colour changes . [ source ]
the female chameleon then lays a clutch of around 20 eggs , although the exact number of eggs can vary from just one to nearly 100 . the chameleon eggs take from 4 - 12 months to hatch , depending on the chameleon species .
loss of habitat affects other chameleon species as well , as does collection for the pet trade . sadly , many chameleon species do not do well in captivity .
‘as he showed yesterday , he is above all a brilliant political chameleon . ’
‘never transforming his image significantly , yet constantly changing roles like a chameleon . ’
cute baby chameleon eats for the first time ( ch . calyptratus ) [ inferion7 ]
the biomechanics of the chameleon’s tongue are of great interest to the field of bioinspiration .
‘they have been replaced by the corresponding segments of the pigment of american chameleon . ’
‘she alone was capable of the amazing things she mastered like a vocal chameleon . ’
‘first and foremost is mike myers , who is known as a vocal chameleon . ’
shortest : pygmy leaf chameleon is 0 . 9 inches ( 2 . 54 centimeters ) long
and can grow to nearly 70 cm in length . parson ' s chameleon , also found in
‘we all understand the ability of the chameleon to change its colours to suit its environment . ’
‘the american chameleon , or anole , is not a true chameleon , but a small lizard of the iguana family , found in the se united states and noted for its color changes . ’
‘contrary to popular belief , the american chameleon does not assume the color of its surroundings . ’
‘listeners seemed divided over whether skaggs or musical chameleon elvis costello stole thursday ' s show . ’
‘the strange thing about abusers is that they ' re like some kind of social chameleon . ’
the female jackson ' s chameleon is one of the few chameleon species that give live birth instead of laying eggs—from 8 to 30 live young after a 5 - to 6 - month gestation period .
the cutest baby veiled chameleon ( ch . calyptratus ) ( part 3 / 3 ) [ inferion7 ]
, due to the large eyes and curled tail of the chameleon . chameleons are found throughout jungle and
prefer to be vegetarians . a chameleon will generally eat anything though including berries , leaves , fruits ,
is a chameleon genus found in madagascar and its members are considered the world ' s smallest chameleons .
‘in the pure - cone american chameleon retina , all visual opsins including rod opsin are expressed . ’
the egg of the rare parson ' s chameleon is believed to take up to two years to hatch .
‘on his fifth album , harper plays the role of musical chameleon , shifting and defying musical categorization . ’
soon chameleon is free to go its own way and after few minutes it is completely lost from my sight .
‘this is similar in ways to the chameleon , a lizard which can alter the colour of its skin . ’
‘it is as if to survive , it has had to change names , like a chameleon changing colours . ’
‘to party cynics , she may be seen as a political chameleon , reinventing herself to charm the voters . ’
‘chameleons such as this male parson ' s chameleon from madagascar change their skin color to hide and to communicate . ’
‘a chameleon was shifting to match the kaleidoscope of colour given off by the lights of a gramophone record store . ’
‘the chameleon has the ability to bring long life or death , fecundity or barrenness , depending on its color . ’
‘the real surprise would be if the post - modern chameleon made two albums in a row that sounded alike . ’
‘it was impossible not to like this energetic chameleon , this part salesman , part bit actor and part seducer . ’
family chamaeleonidae : four genera , in particular chamaeleo , and numerous species , including the european chameleon ( c . vulgaris )
‘most north american lizards belong to this family , including the collared lizards , the utas , the swifts , the so - called horned toads , or horned lizards , and the american chameleon , or anole ( not a true chameleon ) . ’
‘before she was a fabulous comedy chameleon , tracey ullman was a teen dancer touring with a gaggle of chorus boys . ’
‘the album received poor reviews and left many critics asking if pop ' s most successful chameleon had lost her touch . ’
hi anonymous please let me know i its legal to have a chameleon as a pet in india . prasad from bangalore : )
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 .
source / reference article learn how you can use or cite the chameleon article in your website content , school work and other projects .
a chameleon ' s tongue can be shot out to an extraordinary length : in some species the tongue is longer than the body .
‘these and a whole list of other questions far longer than a chameleon ' s telescopic tongue , still need to be answered . ’
‘it lacked the light brown fur , however , and instead owned a soft , fleshy skin with the abilities of a chameleon . ’
‘she describes herself as a nurse chameleon who has not changed her colors - she is just wearing them in a different medium . ’
‘the most brilliant move by the director was the casting of artistic chameleon and rock - and - roll space oddity david bowie . ’
last sunday i hiked a remote hilly terrain on the outskirts of kalyan city . while trekking i luckily encountered a native specie of indian chameleon , now scientifically refereed as chamaeleo zeylanicus . it was very docile and i managed to handle it gently . while taking a close glimpse , i was deeply mesmerized by its beautiful radiant skin and attractive green eyes . its skin colour varied from multiple shades of light green to dark green . it had slender legs , a masked dotted green head with long spiral tail . it seemed having a unique robotic walk with a slow to - and - fro motion .
after kissing my hand , chameleon takes a complete u - turn and starts moving to other tip of the stick i ' m holding .
iam also having a green chameleon . . . . . nd it was so butyful . . . i got ner my house . .
to bury her eggs to keep them safe and warm , the female chameleon first digs a hole in the forest floor in which to bury them . the hole can be from 10 to 30 cm deep , but the depth of the hole generally depends on the chameleon species .
‘particularly well known for her rossini , the consummate singer - actress changes like a chameleon to adapt to the requirements of the repertoire . ’
‘bowie remains the quintessential song - and - dance man , effortlessly charming and elegant , and as ever , a shameless karma chameleon . ’
in 1965 , the san diego zoo’s first chameleon’s arrived : parson’s and madagascan flap - necked chameleons . jackson’s chameleons entered our collection in 1971 .
the thiel ` s dwarf chameleon from madagascar is one the world ' s smallest - reaching no larger than two inches in length when fully grown .
the name chameleon means earth lion and comes from the greek words “chamai” ( on the ground , on the earth ) and “leon” ( lion ) .
parshad , b . 1913 . extension of range of the chameleon . j . bombay nat . hist . soc . 23 : 370 - get paper here
the island of madagascar is home to around 50 percent of the world’s chameleons . one hundred fifty species of chameleon inhabit the island , which has a diverse range of habitats , including desert and rainforest . most of the island’s chameleons are forest floor dwellers , as opposed to arboreal . since the chameleon is incapable of flight , madagascar’s native chameleons are physically isolated from the rest of the world’s chameleon population . this means that they have evolved independently from other species .
‘look at an actor who never ceases to amaze in his breathe of characters and you ' ll know she is not the only fashion chameleon around . ’
‘he was a brilliant careerist and opportunist , a political chameleon whose life story seems more the stuff of fiction than of any kind of conventional history . ’
the veiled chameleon is a large chameleon species 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 !
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 360 - degree view around its body . when the chameleon sees prey , both eyes can focus in the same direction to get a clearer view .
‘this is the last view myriad insects have in life before being swamped by a long , sticky tongue and sucked back into the chameleon ' s mouth . ’
‘their eyes move independently of each other , like those of a chameleon , and their bodies are covered by bony plates , similar to those of seahorses . ’
‘in the evening the mekong always seemed to come alive , changing its colour like a chameleon , camouflaging itself against the darkening sky until it swallowed the sun . ’
‘he has always guarded his private life fiercely , arguing that talking about his off - screen relationships cheapens them and hampers his professional ability to be a chameleon . ’
chameleon making a robotic walk on stick with its four legs and tail pointed upwards for balancing . it walks slowly and cautiously in a to - and - fro motion .
‘i ' m a piscean , who admits to being a complete social chameleon , and i would be completely over - whelmed and swamped by the personalities of others . ’
such as pink , blue , red , orange , green , black , brown , light blue , yellow and turquoise , all so that the chameleon can blend in more easily .
‘for those who prefer the actor as magician , chameleon , and master of disguises , no one has proved more satisfying than sir alec guinness , who just died at age 86 . ’
is native to the humid , cooler regions of africa ' s kenya and tanzania . it is usually found in great numbers in mountainous areas . one subspecies was introduced to hawaii in the 1970s and has since grown into a large , feral population . the jackson ' s chameleon is a small - to medium - sized chameleon best known for its sawtooth - shaped dorsal ridge .
‘he had drive and would go out of his way to pursue a target ; he ' s a chameleon and can change from one person to the next in order to seem compatible . ’
what a pleasant series to stumble upon . your pictures are stunning and i love your description . i love the photos of the mama chameleon helping her babies cross . that is incredible ! : d
‘the team that saw france bestride the football world for the first time ever had more colours than a chameleon and , ultimately , did more for race relations than any number of government initiatives . ’
1 . almost half of the world’s chameleon species live on the island of madagascar , with 59 different species existing nowhere outside of the island . there are approximately 160 species of chameleon . they range from africa to southern europe , and across south asia to sri lanka . they have also been introduced into the united states in places such as hawaii , california and florida . [ source 1 , source 2 ]
hi guys , i stay in bangalore , has anyone found a chameleon in wild in bangalore ? if so please let me know the are you have found , am dying to find one in wild . .
‘it happened because i was married to an american chameleon ( i must mention here that american chameleons are not true chameleons - they look much the same but lack some of our more amazing abilities ) . ’
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 .
2 . colour changing . most chameleons change from brown to green and back , but some can turn almost any colour . a change can occur in as little as 20 seconds . chameleons are born with special cells that have a colour or pigment in them . these cells lie in layers under the chameleon’s outer skin . they are called chromatophores . the top layers of chromatophores have red or yellow pigment . the lower layers have blue or white pigment . when these pigment cells change , the chameleon’s skin colour changes .
most female chameleons lay eggs . the number of eggs laid varies among different species . when the eggs are ready to be laid , the female climbs down to the ground and digs a hole . she deposits the eggs in the hole , buries them , and leaves the nesting site . during incubation , the eggs absorb water from the earth and can gain up to 0 . 14 ounces ( 4 grams ) in weight . there are a few chameleon species , such as the jackson ' s chameleon , that are viviparous .
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 .
many people think chameleons change colour to blend in with their surroundings . scientists disagree . their studies show that light , temperature and mood cause chameleons to change colour . sometimes changing colour can make the chameleon more comfortabl . sometimes it helps the animal communicate with other chameleons . [ source ]
any animal that can change colours and look in two directions at once is worth learning more about . armed with a tongue you have to see to believe , the chameleon may be one of the coolest reptiles on the planet . here are ten things you may not have known about our lizard friend .
like most lizards , chameleons favor a warm habitat . for this reason , the geographical distribution of the chameleon is limited only to regions that enjoy a warm climate . however , this does not mean that all hot regions are natural homes to chameleons . australia , north and south america have no native chameleons .
this species is used for medicinal purposes , as it is traditionally believed to have curative properties in india ( tilbury 2010 ) . numbers of exported ( smuggled ) individuals are very low , with an informal estimate of around 100 animals exported annually from india . no annual cites export quotas for c . zeylanicus have been issued between 2000 and 2014 ( cites 2014 ) . between 1977 and 2013 no live individuals were exported from ranges states for the pet trade ( total of all personal and commercial exports ) ( unep - wcmc 2014 ) . further , although no importation of c . zeylanicus has ever been reported into lebanon , 100 live individuals ( reported to be captive bred ) were imported into japan from lebanon in 2001 ( unep - wcmc 2014 ) . an additional 17 dead specimens were exported between 1992 and 2005 from indian and pakistan for scientific or zoological purposes , along with 12 live specimens for scientific purposes , with all 29 individuals going to the us ( unep - wcmc 2014 ) . this species is not known to be widely kept or traded in the captive market , although illegal trade and / or harvest may occur on a limited basis .
africa’s mainland has the second largest distribution of chameleons in the world . in fact , contrary to popular myth , chameleons originate from the african mainland and not madagascar , as scientific consensus previously asserted . although mainland africa has fewer species than madagascar , dna analysis has proven that the original chameleons evolved on the african continent and then found themselves isolated , possibly as a result of madagascar breaking away from the mainland . most chameleons live in forest habitats , but southwest africa’s namaqua chameleon ( chamaeleo namaquensis ) lives in the harsh , arid namib desert . the largest non - madagascan chameleon is meller’s chamelon ( trioceros melleri ) , which lives in east africa and grows up to 50 cm in length .
he was from our neighborhood . so the first thing in the next morning was to go to his house and have a talk . i didn ' t even waited for toilet . i caught him before he went out for his days work . they had put the chameleon on a tree but the rope was still there . he told me that he found it on the road near
5 . ballistic tongues that are 1 . 5 - 2 times the length of their body . chameleons feed by ballistically projecting their long tongue from their mouth to capture prey located some distance away . while the chameleon’s tongue is typically thought to be 1 . 5 to 2 times the length of their body ( their length excluding the tail ) , it has been recently discovered that smaller chameleons have proportionately larger tongue apparatuses than their larger counterparts . tongue projection occurs at extremely high performance , reaching the prey in as little as 0 . 07 seconds , having been launched at accelerations exceeding 41 g . the chameleon tongue’s tip is a bulbous ball of muscle , and as it hits its prey it rapidly forms a small suction cup . [ source 1 , source 2 ]
. the chameleon was walking on the road and only because it jumped seeing the light of the car he saw it . now he is clueless what to do with it . one thing was assuring that he don ' t want to keep the chameleon as a pet . so i suggested him to return it to the forest dept . i even told him about the rareness of these fine creature and also about the wildlife protection act . of india by which he could have been punished for upto 7 years of imprisonment . so after all thing discussion he agreed to go to the forest dept . but again he said he didnt know anybody there . so i asked him to come with me as i have some folks there . we made a timing and i returned home .
3 . chameleon eyes have a 360 - degree arc of vision and can see two directions at once . chameleons have the most distinctive eyes of any reptile . their upper and lower eyelids are joined , with only a pinhole large enough for the pupil to see through . they can rotate and focus separately to observe two different objects simultaneously , which lets their eyes move independently from each other .
chameleons spend their life in trees and bushes . 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 .
due to some incidents i was late . so when i reached him , he told me he already returned it to forest dept . so i called my friend from bartaman newspaper , he is a photojournalist of that paper , and we headed for the office . there we found our little fella in a cage . the officials were very much helpful . so we took out the chameleon , put it on a brunch and started our photo session . we even managed to feed the chameleon 10 - 12 grasshoppers . it was essential ' cause i was not sure how long will it be there . we measured it to be of 13
in length . my photographer friend was really fascinated by it . so after a long 1 - 1 / 2 hours photo session we left the place .
the end of the tongue is a ball of muscle , and as it hits its prey , it rapidly forms a small suction cup . once the prey sticks to the tongue , the chameleon draws it back into the mouth , where its strong jaws crush it for swallowing . even small chameleons are able to eat large insects . the tongue is kept bunched up at the back of the mouth until it is needed again .
macey , j . robert ; jennifer v . kuehl , allan larson , michael d . robinson , ismail h . ugurtas , natalia b . ananjeva , hafizur rahman , hamid iqbal javed , ridwan mohamed osman , ali doumma , theodore j . papenfuss 2008 . socotra island the forgotten fragment of gondwana : unmasking chameleon lizard history with complete mitochondrial genomic data . molecular phylogenetics and evolution 49 ( 3 ) : 1015 - 1018 - get paper here
a chameleon was sitting on the bumper of a car . i was stunned . i never saw one outside a zoo and seeing one on the streets of tamluk like this would be the last thing to come to my mind . in a moment by the roar of the crowed i came into reality . the crowed became hysteric . they were touching , pocking , gesturing , doing all sorts of thing to the chameleon . i cant blame them knowing the fact that it was the first time for them to see such an spectacular and peculiar species . but they were really threatening it . so i grabbed it and picked it up but it was tied with a rope . i tried to loosen the rope but could not . and the driver was shouting ,
hey ! put it down , put it down .
then he started the engine and of they go . but before their escaping , i did one important thing . i recognized the driver .
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was first described by laurenti in 1768 , the description was based on drawing by seba ( 1734 , 1 ; plate 82 , fig . 3 ) which represented a female specimen with no tarsal spur ( smith 1935 , klaver and böhme 1997 ) . mertens ( 1969 ) restricted the type locality to ceylon ( = sri lanka ) . differences in scalation suggest that sri lankan populations may not be conspecific with the mainland form , but the taxonomy of asian chameleons has not been investigated to clarify their taxonomic status ( karunarathna
chamaeleo zeylanicus is listed as least concern as it is widely distributed , it occurs in several protected areas and the current threats are not causing major declines at present . the species is however likely to be regionally threatened in sri lanka , and should sri lankan c . zeylanicus prove to be distinct from the mainland form this species will require immediate reassessment and may warrant listing in a threatened category .
is distributed in india , pakistan and sri lanka . in india , it is known from south of the ganges and is widely distributed in both the eastern and western ghats and in peninsular india ( smith 1935 ) . in pakistan , the species is confined to the southeastern sind ; a report of the species from peshawar is considered erroneous by khan ( 2006 ) , although peshawar is accepted without comment as the northeastern range limit by tilbury ( 2010 ) . in india alone , this very widespread species has an extent of occurrence greater than 1 , 500 , 000 km
2009 ) . this species occurs at elevations between sea level to 1 , 200 m asl .
, although it is a common species in india . it is rare in sri lanka ( karunarathna
2009 ) , and due to pressures on both the species and its habitat in this country is probably in decline . it is
rare and local
in pakistan , at the northwestern limit of its range ( khan 2006 ) .
is found in scrublands , dry deciduous and secondary forests . it ranges into desert areas , but is restricted to oases in these habitats ( tilbury 2010 ) . in sri lanka it is associated with dry to arid areas mainly in the island ' s north and west , where it exhibits a strong association with forest , including mangroves ( karunarathna
2009 ) , suggesting only a limited ability to tolerate disturbance . in pakistan it appears to favour mesic bushland ( khan 2006 ) . it is diurnal and arboreal , and feeds on termites , grasshoppers and other insects . breeding takes place in the winter months ( whitaker 1978 , singh
1984 ) . different sources report different clutch sizes across its range ; khan ( 2006 ) reports the widest range , of 10 - 40 eggs in a clutch . eggs are laid in a hole in the ground 22 to 30 cm deep ( tilbury 2010 , khan 2006 ) , and incubation lasts almost 90 days ( minton 1966 , khan 2006 ) .
this species may be affected by forest fires . while there is harvesting for both medicinal purposes and the pet trade , tilbury ( 2010 ) notes that the species is
unlikely to be affected by trade
. in sri lanka , widespread forest disturbance and destruction poses the major threat ( karunarathna et al . 2009 ) . land clearance in this country results from
various development activities
including chena ( shifting ) cultivation , the widespread establishment of coconut and cashew plantations , encroachment by human settlements , illegal logging for timber , and the development of shrimp farms ( karunarathna et al . 2009 ) .
is known from many protected areas . it is listed as endangered in the national red list of sri lanka ( wickramasinghe 2012 ) . research is needed to clarify the taxonomy of this species , and conservation would benefit from systematic research into the distribution and population status of this species in sri lanka , and awareness programs are needed in this country to educate villagers who erroneously believe this lizard to be harmful ( karunarathna
2009 ) . this species is harvested for medicinal use and , to a lesser extent , the pet trade , and may benefit from monitoring of this activity in india .
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chameleons with phil - meller ' s , panther , jackson ' s and a veiled / yemen .
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post : gaurav akrani . date : 3 / 20 / 2010 . comment ( 1 ) . label : animals , photos , reptiles , videos .
on the day of encounter i was quite unfortunate that i didn ' t carried my high end canon slr camera which i always do . in this chaotic situation my nokia camera phone came handy and i managed to capture following close - up snaps of this wonderful reptile specie . it makes me feel great to share those captured moments . enjoy watching pics of chamaeleo zeylanicus .
after reaching the end of the stick it peeps down more to explore and i quickly click my camera button .
it has a long prehensile tail and independent eye movements . it is arboreal specie and moves slowly in to - and - fro motions .
like other chameleons it also has an ability to change its skin colour . it changes its colour from multiple shades of bright green to dark brown . it do so to camouflage in its surrounding , communicate with other chameleons and control its body temperatures . it uses light colours to reflect heat and dark colours to absorb heat . it even has ability to change skin colour of few body parts while retaining colour of other body parts intact . it can do so either in symmetric distribution or in a non - symmetric way . during mating season they turn their skin bright green while during fights they turn dark brown . they are arboreal i . e they dwell on trees and hence have adapted themselves to the colours of trees ' trunks , branches and leaves which are dark brown , brown and green respectively .
they are non - venomous . however if bitten and bleeding takes place their is a possibility of infection . hence basic treatment is necessary .
they are cold blooded creatures and live alongside where there is water near by .
their prehensile tail acts as a fifth leg / hand to support their body by grasping objects .
they are very lighter in weight when compared to their volume and body size .
they are shy , docile and non - aggressive specie and are very easy to handle .
article by gaurav akrani . research and photos enhanced by sameer akrani . special thanks to our friend mr . naagsen without whom this article would not be possible . article compliled for kalyan city life blog . thanks ! for reading .
good information and nice images . it is indeed beautiful . but i envy your comfort in handling such a creature that i am quite scared of . wish i could overcome my inhibition and bond with such friends in nature .
head with a distinct helmet like bony projection . prehensile tail , fingers and toes opposable . body has the ability to change colour according to habitat
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after the rescue of the russell ' s viper i gained some popularity among a few boys . so on this fine evening , we were chatting among ourselves in our regular hangout place . suddenly a crowed gathered around a car in the middle of the street . i thought that some kind of accident could have happen . but some boys from inside the crowed was yelling by my name to check it out . so i got up and positioned myself in the center of the crowed . and i didn ' t belief what i saw .
overall it has such a comic appearance and its behavior compliments its look so fantastically that it became my second favorite lizard of all .
i rescued one of this kind while it was crossing the highway around noon near kuliana ( baripada , odisha ) . i was fortunate to spot it as it came in front of my car i scretch to halt and avoided crushing it under my car , more important was i saved it from a convoy of truck which was tailing my car . i did not pick it up rather allowed it to climb on my jeans , i did took few photos and let it go in to the nearest bush . there was little commotion from the traffic whic i took for good . we ( self & my son ) named it green tail ( as it had lost tip of its tail ) . this ten min of intraction with this beautiful creature made me move little more closure to green earth ( my mother land )
yesterday when i was out in the evening , suddenly i got a call from home ; my mother was yelling “there is a venomous snake in the house , com . . .
do i always have to find a new snake as dead ? ? i am sick of it . the number of roadkill snakes is really increasing in numbers i first saw a . . .
a few days back when i was browsing facebook , i stumbled upon an interesting cartoon . it was about frog meat industry . i got interested an . . .
as the rainy season is approaching , the interaction with snakes is about to increase for everyone . but as it is not desirable for most of . . .
when we think of snakes , what picture come in mind first ? don’t we think of a creepy creature which is fierce and aggressive and ready to st . . .
chamaeleo zeylanicus laurenti 1768 : 46 chamaeleo zebra bory de st . vincent 1823 chamaeleo coromandelicus fitzinger 1843 chamaeleo vulgaris var . marmoratus gray 1865 chamaeleo zeylonicus — jerdon 1853 ( n . emend . pro chamaeleo zeylanicus laurenti 1768 ) chamaeleo ceylonicus — stoliczka 1872 ( n . emend . pro chamaeleo zeylanicus laurenti 1768 ) chamaeleo ( chamaeleo ) zeylanicus — necas 1999 : 113 chamaeleo zeylanicus — tilbury & tolley 2009 chamaeleo zeylanicus — tilbury 2010 : 539
type locality : ceylon ( = sri lanka ) , restricted by mertens 1969 .
note : tdwg regions are generated automatically from the text in the distribution field and not in every cases it works well . we are working on it .
type : unlocated ; based on seba ( 1734 ) i ; plate 82 , fig . 3 .
barry , a . t . 1936 . the common chamaeleon ( chamaeleon zeylanicus ) in gujarat . j . bombay nat . hist . soc . 38 : 201 - 202 - get paper here
bhupathy , subramanian & n . sathishkumar 2013 . status of reptiles in meghamalai and its environs , western ghats , tamil nadu , india . journal of threatened taxa 5 ( 15 ) : 4953 - 4961 - get paper here
boulenger , g . a . 1885 . catalogue of the lizards in the british museum ( natural history ) . vol . 2 , second edition . london , xiii + 497 pp . - get paper here
boulenger , george a . 1890 . the fauna of british india , including ceylon and burma . reptilia and batrachia . taylor & francis , london , xviii , 541 pp . - get paper here
captain , a . 2005 . chamaeleo zeylanicus ( laurenti ) . sauria 27 ( 4 ) : 1 - 2 - get paper here
fitzinger , l . 1843 . systema reptilium , fasciculus primus , amblyglossae . braumüller et seidel , wien : 106 pp . - get paper here
glaw , f . 2015 . taxonomic checklist of chameleons ( squamata : chamaeleonidae ) . vertebrate zoology 65 ( 2 ) : 167–246 - get paper here
gray , j . e . 1865 . revision of the genera and species of chamaeleonidae , with the description of some new species . proc . zool . soc . london 1864 : 465 - 479 . - get paper here
karunarathna , d . m . s . s . , m . a . j . s . nawaratne & a . a . t . amarasinghe 2009 . a review of the distribution and conservation status of chamaeleo zeylanicus laurenti , 1768 ( reptilia : chamaeleonidae ) from north - western sri lanka . taprobanica 1 ( 2 ) : 115 - 122 - get paper here
karunarathna , suranjan ; d . m . s . and a . a . thasun amarasinghe 2011 . a preliminary survey of the reptile fauna in nilgala forest and its vicinity , monaragala district , sri lanka . taprobanica 3 ( 02 ) : 69 - 76
laurenti , j . n . 1768 . specimen medicum , exhibens synopsin reptilium emendatam cum experimentis circa venena et antidota reptilium austracorum , quod authoritate et consensu . vienna , joan . thomae , 217 pp . - get paper here
murthy , t . s . n . 2010 . the reptile fauna of india . b . r . publishing , new delhi , 332 pp .
necas , petr 1999 . chameleons - nature ' s hidden jewels . edition chimaira , frankfurt ; 348 pp . ; isbn 3 - 930612 - 04 - 6 ( europe ) < br / > isbn 1 - 57524 - 137 - 4 ( usa , canada )
palot , m . j . 2015 . a checklist of reptiles of kerala , india . journal of threatened taxa 7 ( 13 ) : 8010–8022 - get paper here
schmidt , w . ; tamm , k . & wallikewitz , e . 2010 . chamäleons - drachen unserer zeit . natur und tier verlag , 328 pp . [ review in reptilia 101 : 64 , 2013 ] - get paper here
seba , a . 1734 . locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri accurata descriptio , et iconibus artificiosissimus expressio , per universam physices historiam . opus , cui in hoc rerum genere , nullum par exstitit . vol . 1 . janssonio - waesbergios , amsterdam . 178 pp . - get paper here
sharma , satish kumar and vijay kumar koli 2018 . distribution of asian chameleons ( chamaeleo zeylanicus laurenti 1768 ) in different forest types of rajasthan , india ircf reptiles & amphibians 25 ( 1 ) : 60–62 - get paper here
smith , m . a . 1935 . the fauna of british india , including ceylon and burma . reptiles and amphibia , vol . ii . sauria . taylor and francis , london , 440 pp .
somaweera , r . & somaweera , n . 2009 . lizards of sri lanka : a colour guide with field keys . chimaira , frankfurt , 304 pp .
taylor , e . h . 1953 . a review of the lizards of ceylon . univ . kansas sci . bull . 35 ( 12 ) : 1525 - 1585 - get paper here
tilbury , c . 2010 . chameleons of africa : an atlas , including the chameleons of europe , the middle east and asia . edition chimaira , frankfurt m . , 831 pp .
tilbury , c . r . & tolley , krystal a . 2009 . a re - appraisal of the systematics of the african genus chamaeleo ( reptilia : chamaeleonidae ) . zootaxa 2079 : 57–68 - get paper here
vivek , sharma ; sharma neha , kishore jugal , jangir bhanwar lal and sharma krishan kumar . 2011 . new locality records of chamaeleo zeylanicus ( laurenti ) from certain semi arid areas of the thar desert of rajasthan , india . herpetology notes 4 : 287 - 289 - get paper here
vyas , raju 2007 . herptofauna of puma wildlife sanctuary , gujarat , india . reptile rap ( 8 ) : 10 - 15 - get paper here
vyas , raju 2011 . reptilian diversity in and around the shoolpaneshwar wildlife sanctuary , gujarat , india . reptile rap ( 11 ) : 5 - 15 - get paper here
ziesmann , s . ; klaas , p . & janzen , p . 2007 . von skinken und anderen echsen [ sri lankas ] . draco 7 ( 30 ) : 18 - 23 - get paper here
this database is maintained by peter uetz ( database content ) and jakob hallermann , zoological museum hamburg ( new species and updates ) .
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hawaii , california and florida are home to a thriving population of feral lizards . these are the offspring of escaped or abandoned pets and due to the agreeable climates in each of these states , chameleons have managed to survive . as with all feral populations , they pose a risk to the local ecosystem as the native wildlife will not have evolved to protect themselves against this new threat .
simon foden has been a freelance writer and editor since 1999 . he began his writing career after graduating with a bachelors of arts degree in music from salford university . he has contributed to and written for various magazines including
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and
pet friendly magazine .
he has also written for dogmagazine . net .
foden , simon .
in what regions do chameleons live ?
animals - urltoken , http : / / animals . urltoken / regions - chameleons - live - 11103 . html . accessed 09 july 2018 .
foden , simon . ( n . d . ) . in what regions do chameleons live ? animals - urltoken . retrieved from http : / / animals . urltoken / regions - chameleons - live - 11103 . html
foden , simon .
in what regions do chameleons live ?
accessed july 09 , 2018 . urltoken
note : depending on which text editor you ' re pasting into , you might have to add the italics to the site name .
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project noah is a tool to explore and document wildlife and a platform to harness the power of citizen scientists everywhere .
chameleons vary greatly in size and body structure , with maximum total length varying from 3 . 3 cm ( 1 . 3 in . ) in brookesia minima ( one of the world ' s smallest reptiles ) to 68 . 5 cm ( 27 in . ) in the male furcifer oustaleti . [ 3 ] many have head or facial ornamentation , such as nasal protrusions , or horn - like projections in the case of chamaeleo jacksonii , or large crests on top of their head , like chamaeleo calyptratus . many species are sexually dimorphic , and males are typically much more ornamented than the female chameleons . chameleons are often sold at pet stores and are not rare to have as household pets .
this mother was shifting babies from one to another branch , an amazing experience for me .
that it is just amazing and beautiful . i was not part of pn when you got sotd but it was well deserved , i am just glad to have seen it now , thank you for sharing .
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sources : 1 . david burnie , dorling kindersley ( 2008 ) illustrated encyclopedia of animals [ accessed at : 16 dec 2009 ] 2 . david burnie , kingfisher ( 2011 ) the kingfisher animal encyclopedia [ accessed at : 01 jan 2011 ] 3 . dorling kindersley ( 2006 ) dorling kindersley encyclopedia of animals [ accessed at : 16 dec 2009 ] 4 . richard mackay , university of california press ( 2009 ) the atlas of endangered species [ accessed at : 16 dec 2009 ] 5 . tom jackson , lorenz books ( 2007 ) the world encyclopedia of animals [ accessed at : 16 dec 2009 ]
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chromatophores change because they get a message from the brain . the message tells the cells to enlarge or to shrink . these actions cause cell pigments to mix—just like paint . a chemical called melanin also helps chameleons turn colour . melanin fibers can spread like spiderwebs through layers of pigment cells and their presence causes skin to darken .
this gives them a full 360 - degree arc of vision around their body . when prey is located , both eyes can be focused in the same direction , giving sharp stereoscopic vision and depth perception . chameleons have very good eyesight for reptiles , letting them see small insects from a long ( 5–10 m ) distance . [ source ]
4 . chameleons vary greatly in size and body structure , with maximum total length varying from 15 millimetres ( 0 . 6 in ) in male brookesia micra ( one of the world’s smallest reptiles ) to 68 . 5 centimetres ( 30 in ) in the male furcifer oustaleti .
6 . happy feet . the feet of chameleons are highly adapted to movement in trees ( arboreal locomotion ) . on each foot there are five clearly distinguished toes that are grouped into a flattened section of either two or three toes , giving each foot a tongs - like appearance . on the front feet the outer group contains two toes , whereas the inner group contains three . on the rear feet this arrangement is reversed . these specialized feet allow chameleons to grip tightly onto narrow or rough branches . each toe is also equipped with a sharp claw to help grip on surfaces when climbing . [ source ]
7 . males are typically much more ornamented . many have head or facial ornamentations such as nasal protrusions or horn - like projections . others can have large crests on top of their head . [ source ]
8 . chameleons can’t hear much . like snakes , chameleons do not have an outer or a middle ear so there is neither an ear opening nor an eardrum . however , chameleons are not deaf . they can detect sound frequencies in the range 200–600 hz . [ source ]


the yellow-vented eremomela ( eremomela flavicrissalis ) is a species of bird formerly placed in the " old world warbler " assemblage , but now placed in the family cisticolidae .

it is found in dry savannas in ethiopia , kenya , somalia , tanzania , and uganda .

yellow - vented eremomela

nobody uploaded sound recordings for yellow - vented eremomela ( eremomela flavicrissalis ) yet .
pearson , d . ( 2018 ) . yellow - vented eremomela ( eremomela flavicrissalis ) . in : del hoyo , j . , elliott , a . , sargatal , j . , christie , d . a . & de juana , e . ( eds . ) . handbook of the birds of the world alive . lynx edicions , barcelona . ( retrieved from urltoken on 9 july 2018 ) .
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thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on the iucn red list of threatened species website , we are grateful for your input .
del hoyo , j . , collar , n . j . , christie , d . a . , elliott , a . , fishpool , l . d . c . , boesman , p . and kirwan , g . m . 2016 . hbw and birdlife international illustrated checklist of the birds of the world . volume 2 : passerines . lynx edicions and birdlife international , barcelona , spain and cambridge , uk .
justification : this species has a very large range , and hence does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the range size criterion ( extent of occurrence < 20 , 000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size , habitat extent / quality , or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation ) . despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing , the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population trend criterion ( > 30 % decline over ten years or three generations ) . the population size has not been quantified , but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population size criterion ( < 10 , 000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be > 10 % in ten years or three generations , or with a specified population structure ) . for these reasons the species is evaluated as least concern .
the global population size has not been quantified , but the species is described as rather uncommon , although common in somalia ( del hoyo et al . 2006 ) . trend justification : the population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation .
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somalia ( except nw , ne & s ) , s & se ethiopia , ne uganda ( moroto ) and n & e kenya ( turkana to marsabit and mandera , and s to samburu , middle r tana and tsavo east national park ) .
. plumage is brown - tinged grey above , side of head paler grey ( no distinct supercilium ) , uppertail - coverts . . .
song a high “sureet - seet - seet - seet” or “seet - seet - seet - seet” ; call a weak “sssp” .
small insects . forages in bushes and tree canopy , usually alone , sometimes two or three together . searches busily among leaves and twigs ; . . .
may in ethiopia and jan in se kenya ; nest - building in apr , may and dec in somalia . nest , built by both sexes , a small cup of grasses and . . .
not globally threatened . restricted to arid parts of e africa , where common in somalia , rather uncommon elsewhere . range in c kenya apparently contracting .
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previously placed in a much - expanded sylviidae , but transferred to cisticolidae based on genetic evidence # r .
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calls from a single bird mobbing a pearl - spotted owlet . while calling the bird was moving near the top of a tree in dense , tall thornscrub .
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