Page 29 - Atlas Of The World's Strangest Animals

JACKSON’S CHAMELEON 29

A chameleon’s ability to change colour is its first line of Chameleons can’t exactly match their surroundings but, in the
defence, although the colours it can use are limited. jungle, bold patterns and shades still make a good disguise!

As the snake presses its attack, our chameleon resorts to The snake is still unimpressed, so our chameleon makes
intimidation – hissing and posturing aggressively,with its a speedy exit, releasing his grip and dropping onto a
mouth wide open. branch below.

Chameleons can be found throughout Africa’s humid, branches. Although chameleons have five toes, not four,
forest regions and so, not surprisingly, their bodies have their feet work in the same way as a parrots, enabling
adapted to a life spent amongst the tree tops.They have them to hold onto foliage with a vicelike grip.
a gripping (prehensile) tail, which acts a little like a fifth Then there’s the chameleon’s tongue. Many reptiles
arm to help steady them as they creep through the have long, thin or forked tongues. In contrast,
forest.Their bulging eyes can rotate to give them a full chameleon tongues are big and fleshy.Their bodies
360˚ view of the environment. Each eye is also able to may be slow, but these powerful, elongated tongues
focus separately.That means that they can look at two shoot out of the chameleon’s mouth at incredible speeds,
different objects at the same time – a very useful skill catching prey on the sticky tip and pulling them into
when navigating through the gloomy forest canopy! the mouth, enveloped in a ball of muscle.
Look at the chameleons’ feet, and you’ll notice Finally, these beautiful lizards have one more
something even odder – they’re zygodactyl. Birds like surprise to reveal. Most reptiles lay eggs, but the
parrots have zygodactyl feet, where two of their toes Jackson’s chameleon are viviparous and give birth to
point backwards, and two forwards.This is an live young – making them a true oddity in a world
evolutionary adaptation that enables them to hold onto of oddities.

(c) 2011 Marshall Cavendish. All Rights Reserved.