Chameleons are amazing! I am fascinated by those swivel eyes and that gorgeous colorful skin. These guys are beautiful, but don’t look like any other animal on the planet, in my book.
Once I went to a swap meet, where I saw a couple of very large, very beautiful chameleons hanging out in an enormous cage. To my eyes they looked happy and healthy, and seemed not particularly perturbed by the attention they were getting. When a large and unaware dragonfly alighted on a stick in their cage, he was scooped up in one fell swoop of a huge tongue. Almost quicker than the eye could follow. Bugs have especially short lives around these guys!
Where they come from:
I didn’t realize that over half of chameleon species are from the island of Madagascar. It is amazing that so many amazing animals are from this one place on earth. Not just chameleons, but a lot of other rare critters. Madagascar is on my short list of places to visit someday. All other chameleon species come from other places in Africa as well as the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
Chameleons are arboreal (they live in trees) and mostly live on bugs. Some of the larger ones actually eat small reptiles or other little animals. Like most animals, they will eat pretty much anything available in their preferred food group.
And how about those eyes! Each one can be moved separately, giving them a pretty amazing range of vision. It’s hard to imagine what it’s like to look at two different places at the same time. And talk about a long tongue! They can extend them to two times the length of their body. They must keep them folded up or curled in their mouth.
Chameleons are completely designed to live in the trees. Their bodies are somewhat flattened, they have a prehensile tail that allows them to grasp branches, and their feet are a bit like pinchers, that lets them grasp onto the branches.
The smallest one of these reptiles is only 2 inches long. Awww! Sounds awfully cute. And the larges one if about 30 inches long. That is quite a size range!
How are they as pets?
Beautiful and interesting for sure, chameleons can make fascinating pets. But they are not for the inexperienced!
And don’t try to handle your chameleon much. They would rather be left alone. When you handle them, they may get upset and even bite. Worse yet, the stress of being handled could make your chameleon ill.
Their housing and various dietary requirements would need to be researched as well. Chameleons come from different climates and geographical locations, so this would be an important factor in how they are housed and cared for. Be sure you do your research, in other words!
How do I admire chameleons? By designing jewelry to depict them! I have quite a few chameleon designs, including the pin/pendant shown here. I will never have a chameleon as a pet, at least this lifetime! I prefer animals I can cuddle. But I certainly admire them.
Are you a chameleon owner? DO you have lizards or other reptiles? I would love to hear from you!