From the get-go, in order to understand this blog article, you’ll need to know what the term “sexual dimorphism” means. The simplest way to explain it is that it describes a single, sexually reproducing animal where males and females look different from one another. A great example of an animal that is sexually dimorphic that all readers should be familiar with is the common chicken. Roosters are easily identifiable as the male of the species, while hens look completely different from them but are clearly still the same species.
A female Mt. Meru Jackson’s chameleon.
There are many traits that exemplify sexual dimorphism in animals, the most obvious being different genitalia. However, because chameleons lack visible distinguishing sex organs, we have to examine their other physical traits in order to determine males from females.
Generally, with most reptiles and amphibians, the traits examined to determine gender are: size, ornamentation, and coloration.
A top view of a male Mt. Meru chameleon. Notice the three horns, similar to that of a male Jackson’s chameleon.
This brings us to our question regarding Mt. Meru Jackson’s Chameleons – are they sexually dimorphic animals? Can you tell the males from the females just by looking at them?
A comparison of male and female Mt. Meru chameleons.
In short, the answer is yes.
The main difference between males and females is the number of horns/spikes present on the animal’s head. Females possess one short horn on the tip of their nose, while males have a trio of horns, one on the tip of their nose and one above each eye like a triceratops.
This is a female. You can see she has a single horn.
Another less noticeable difference between the genders is size. Males will grow to be slightly larger than females in terms of body length, weight, and slightness of frame.
Both males and females can and will display a range of colors from dark, mottled browns and blacks to vibrant greens, so color is not necessarily a good indicator of gender in this species of chameleon.
Here’s one of our baby Mount Meru Jackson’s chameleons.
Have you ever wondered why chameleons change color? We think it’s fascinating that these little lizards possess this ability and we wanted to shed a little light on the “why” behind this unique behavior.
Chameleon Camouflage
It’s a common misconception that chameleons change color primarily to blend in with their surroundings and avoid predators. While camouflaging with their surroundings is a positive byproduct of this behavior, there are actually stronger factors at work when it comes to color change.
While it is true that some species of chameleons, such as the Pygmy Chameleon (Rhampholean sp.) use color change as a way to blend in, this is a pretty specialized case. Pygmies actually don’t change color in the traditional spectrum – you won’t see a red, blue, or even bright green Pygmy. They change between light and dark shades of brown and are shaped to resemble dead leaf litter on the forest floor.
An adult pygmy chameleon. Notice its pointed shape and lack of curly tail which help it resemble leaf litter. These little guys are pretty much brown their whole lives.
Another common erroneous belief is that a chameleon will change color to mimic it’s background. For instance, chameleons are commonly portrayed in pop culture as being able to rapidly transform themselves from green to purple to black and yellow stripes based on whatever they’re close to. This is not true.
This is a translucent veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus). Notice how it has white and black splotches. These are a result of selective captive breeding and are not a result of the chameleon trying to resemble the white backdrop behind it.
Chameleon Mood
The foremost reason chameleons change color is to communicate their mood, whether it be to other chameleons, potential predators, or even to their owners.
Notice the difference in color between these Meller’s chameleons. Above the chameleon is drabber because it is not being handled. It does not feel threatened or stressed, so it doesn’t feel the need to brighten up and show dominance. In the bottom photo, the chameleon is being handled, which can make the grumpier species feel angry, which in turn causes them to display brighter colors.
A general rule of thumb when it comes to interpreting your chameleon’s color is that brighter colors mean a more dominant animal. For example, if two males to come into view of one another, they will both puff up and turn a brighter green in order to display aggression and try to defend their territory. They are both trying to communicate to the other that they are the head honcho and whoever is bigger and brighter is more likely to win should they come to blows in the wild.
This is a brightly-colored Rudis chameleon (Trioceros rudis) with her baby piggy-backing. Her bright color is a general indicator of her good health. This live birth occurred at our facility.
Dark, drab chameleons can be this color for a number of reasons. One, is a physical response to light and temperature (see the subheading below on temperature and lighting for more details). The other could be because the animal is unhealthy. This is not always the case, as certain species just tend to be in the brown color spectrum naturally (Oustalet’s, Pygmies, and Elephant Ears to name a few), but if your Jacksons or Panther is consistently drab and brown, you need to adjust something in its care regimen, probably its light and/or heat source.
Female chameleons will change color to indicate that they are pregnant or receptive/non-receptive to a potential mate. Males will also display more brilliant colorations when they are trying to impress a female.
Lighting and Temperature
Have you ever noticed how wearing black in the summer is generally going to make you hotter? The black clothes absorb the sun’s rays more and the same is true of a darker-colored chameleon’s skin.
Reptiles cannot thermoregulate their body temperature the same way that mammals do, so they have lots of tricks up their sleeves to help them warm up when needed. Sometimes when a chameleon is very dark or drab in color, it could be trying to absorb more heat.
This is a hatchling Veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus). It is young and still has some learning to do as far as color displays are concerned.
We hope that you learned something new by reading this article. If you’re inspired to purchase your own chameleon, Backwater Reptiles has many species of chameleons for sale on our website.
Are you wondering how to incubate chameleon eggs? One of the most rewarding experiences you can have as a reptile hobbyist is the successful hatching of an egg clutch. If you need help or suggestions as far as breeding goes, we have a very in depth blog article all about breeding Panther chameleons. But, for the purposes of this article, we’ll assume you’ve already got a clutch or two of your own incubating and we’ll focus specifically on what to do once your eggs are starting to hatch.
It all starts with this, right?! Here’s a pair of our Panther chameleons mating. The female will lay eggs about a month later.
At Backwater Reptiles, we incubate our eggs in shoebox sized plastic boxes. We don’t drill any holes or provide any special means of ventilation (they don’t get much air circulation in nature being buried 6-12 inches underground).
You can purchase these types of plastic boxes at any large department store. We fill the boxes with Perlite that is damp but certainly not dripping wet, label the boxes with the clutch date, close the lid, and store on a shelf at room temperature.
We make various notes on the incubation box, including date eggs were laid, species, quantity, and any miscellaneous notes. In this instance, we crossed a female Oustalet’s chameleon with a male Panther chameleon.
We’ve learned that the natural rise-and-fall of indoor temperatures provides the perfect environment for 90% of chameleons. We’ve hatched-out over 18 different species, and the only one that we don’t get strong hatch percentages with is the Carpet chameleon (Furcifer lateralis). We generally experience 100% hatch rates for Panther, Veiled, Sailfin, Flapneck, Oustelet’s, Pygmy, Verrucosus, Johnston’s, Two-horned, et al.
Many hobbyists purchase small pre-made incubators for their chameleon eggs, but we’ve found they are unstable and can experience sudden wide temperature fluctuations. If you take nothing else away from this article, remember this: quick temperature fluctuations are dangerous–very slow, gradual changes are far less so.
This is one of our chameleon egg incubation stations. As you can see, we stack them so that they won’t be disturbed.
Chameleon Eggs: Part Deux
The amount of time it takes for the eggs to hatch varies based on the chameleon species, but for the purposes of this article, we’re using a clutch of Sailfin (Trioceros cristatus) babies that we had hatch this week (our fourth clutch). This particular clutch was laid on March 3rd, and took a little over six months to hatch.
Once you notice a single baby in the Perlite, it’s best to keep it in the box for a while as the eggs seem to “communicate” and incite the rest of the eggs to hatch. Some scientists believe there is some type of chemical communication involved.
You’ll notice that your hatchlings are very timid, weak, and clumsy. This is all normal! Just like human babies, hatchling chameleons of any species, not just the Sailfins pictured, need to learn how to use their limbs.
Here’s the beginnings of a clutch of Sailfin chameleon (Trioceros cristatus) hatchlings. There are still a few eggs that will hatch, so the babies have not yet been moved to their new enclosure. We’ve learned that babies walking around inside the incubation chamber often somehow “trigger” or “message” the other eggs to know it’s time to hatch.
The babies will climb all over each other, use each other as stepping stools, and be generally awkward and bumbling for a few days. They might even curl up in little balls and appear for all intents and purposes to be dead, but it’s just the shock of the new world. Eventually they will snap out of it.
This sail fin hatchling doesn’t seem to realize its been born yet.
Once all of your eggs have hatched, it’s safe to move the babies to a separate home. We house our babies of a single species all together in small versions of adult cages. Keep the plant life and climbing materials in their cages minimal so that you don’t lose the little guys as they are very small! It’s also wise that your cage not be too tall as they stumble and fall often when they’re babies. Just like toddlers learning to walk, they have accidents and can fall off the plants/climbing materials and if you don’t want them to injure themselves, it’s best if they don’t have too far to fall.
They also need to be able to spot prey insects, and the more clutter you have in the enclosure, the more difficult it is for them. We usually affix a plastic plant to the top of the screen cage (near the UVB lighting–we use ReptiSun 5.0 bulbs), because the baby chameleons like soaking up the rays, and if you don’t provide a way for them to get off the top of the cage (by way of easily accessible leaves), sometimes they seem to be confused as to how to maneuver elsewhere.
This little guy is wary of the camera. :-P
We feed our hatchlings hydei fruit flies and pinhead crickets at birth once or twice a day. As they grow just a bit, you can increase the size of the prey items accordingly.
Baby chameleons need humidity, and plenty of it. Dessication (dehydrating) is their biggest enemy, and it’s an ever present threat. Mist, mist, and mist again. We have our’s set up with an automatic misting system, so that we don’t even have to think about it.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our article on how to incubate chameleon eggs! The Sailfin chameleon hatchlings from this post should be large enough to be shipped to new homes within about three months. They’re a wonderful species with a unique appearance, and they generally thrive in captivity, especially when you start with captive bred babies.
Ever wondered what species of chameleon are the largest in the world? There are many types of chameleons and each kind has unique traits and quirks associated with it. We’ve talked about pygmy chameleons in a previous post, which are some of the smallest chameleons, but this entry is all about the behemoths – specifically the four largest species of chameleon.
4. Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus)
Veiled Chameleons, also known as Yemen Chameleons, are becoming popular pet chameleons due to captive breeding efforts. Wild-caught animals have a reputation for having a hard time adjusting to captivity, but ones produced by breeders like us are hardier than ever and thrive in the proper captive conditions. They are number four on our list of the largest chameleons.
A full-grown male Veiled Chameleon, one of our breeders, and one of the largest chameleons in the world. This species can be somewhat defensive and aggressive, but generally thrive in captivity. We have bred thousands of them over the years.
Male veiled chameleons can reach lengths of up to two feet with females being slightly smaller (approximately 18 inches in length). Hatchlings start off life at about three inches long, and do quite well right off the bat.
The life span of the veiled chameleon varies. Generally, males that are well cared for will live anywhere from five to eight years, whereas females will live shorter lives ranging from four to six years. This is because the process of reproducing takes a toll on the female, even if she just lays infertile egg clutches (much like a chicken).
Some veiled chameleons can have attitude like this guy. He got stressed out when we tried to help him with those little pieces of shed skin behind his head.
3. Oustalet’s Chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti)
Number three on our list of the largest chameleons is the Oustalet’s. Also called the Malagasy Giant Chameleon, Oustalet’s chameleons (pronounced as “Ooh-stuh-lay”) can reach up to 27 inches long! Females are smaller and generally won’t surpass two feet in length. It’s interesting to note that although not the largest chameleon in terms of body mass, these guys are only surpassed by Parson’s chameleons in terms of length.
This female Oustalet’s Chameleon is slightly smaller than most males, but are still large as a species.
While they tend to stay in the brown color spectrum range, like all chameleons, Oustalet’s chameleons can adapt their coloration based upon moods and can exhibit blacks, rusty oranges, and sometimes even blues. Females tend to be brighter and more colorful than males. Males also have more pronounced head crests and ridge spines than the females.
This female Oustalet’s is currently our best eater–she’s always ravenous.
Probably due to their large size, these chameleons have voracious appetites. They will eat normal chameleon fare such as insects, but are adept hunters and will consume smaller lizards (including smaller chameleons) and even birds in the wild. The Backwater Reptiles Oustalet’s chameleons are fun to feed because they will snatch mealworms, crickets, and other large invertebrates from your hand. You’d be surprised how long their tongues are! The most aggressive feeding chameleon we have is our adult female Oustalet’s breeder (we crossed her with a Panther cham too).
2. Meller’s Chameleon (Chamaeleo melleri)
Meller’s Chameleon (AKA the “Bird-Eating Chameleon” and the “Giant One-Horned Chameleon”) is known to reach approximately two feet in length.
These chameleons are recognizable by their brilliant green, yellow, and black coloring, large occipital lobes (crest behind the ears), and single rostral horn (nose horn).
Notice the nose horn and large occipital lobes on this light-colored Meller’s Chameleon.
One thing to watch out for with melleri chameleons is dehydration, so watch for sunken eyes or wrinkly, saggy skin and be sure to maintain proper humidity in their environment.
When Meller’s Chameleons are threatened or stressed, they tend to exhibit bright green and black dots. They are large chameleons sometimes called “Bird-eaters.”
A fun fact about Meller’s chameleons is that their tongue can extend the length of their body and sometimes even longer! As far as feeding is concerned, Meller’s will eat large insects such as super worms, horn worms, large crickets, and roaches.
The melleri species is number two on our list of the largest chameleons in the world. They are wonderful animals that are full of spunk and have tremendous grip-strength.
This is one of our massive Meller’s chameleons. This large species is rarely captive bred.
And the largest chameleon in the world is…
1. Parson’s Chameleon (Calumma parsonii)
Parson’s Chameleons are true giants. The largest and heftiest of all chameleons, they can attain lengths of up to 28 inches and weigh anywhere from a pound to two pounds – basically they can be the size of a small house cat! It’s not just their impressive length, but their solid mass as well.
The world’s largest chameleon is the Parson’s. Here is one of our female Yellow-lipped Parson’s chams.
Variable in color, males have ridges running from the side of their eyes down to their noses which form two blunt horns. Females don’t have horns, but do have small head crests and often times nose “bumps” on the tips of their noses.
A collage of our female Yellow-Lipped Parson’s Chameleon and the 68 eggs she laid for us!
Parson’s are much less common within the pet reptile market, due to more strict regulations regarding their export, and the small number of captive breedings. Captive-bred animals are particularly valuable due to their rarity and lack of parasites. That’s why we were super excited to have our very own clutch of 68 Yellow-Lipped Parson’s eggs laid this year at Backwater Reptiles! If all goes well, we should have some babies born in 14-16 months. Fingers crossed.
If any of these chameleons interests you, we currently have all of these large chameleon species for sale.
Unique in many ways, and we’re going to list the top ten Pygmy chameleon facts. When most people think of a chameleon, the animal that comes to their mind is a bright, color-changing lizard with a curlicue tail and eyes that can move in opposite directions. However, at Backwater Reptiles, we have some pygmy chameleons that don’t adhere to the chameleon “stereotype.” This blog entry is dedicated to shedding light on these unique little chameleons by providing readers with ten quick facts about them.
1. Unlike their more colorful, larger cousins, pygmy chameleons tend to be shades of brown with various blotches, spots, and stripes. While they can still adjust their color depending on their surroundings, they do not turn shades of bright green, blue, or orange.
2. Pygmy chameleons are also known as Stump-tail chameleons because they have short, truncated tails. Because they live on leaf litter on the ground, they don’t require curly, long tails that allow them to grasp tree branches like their arboreal cousins.
Pygmy Chameleons don’t generally exceed three inches long, making them the smallest species of chameleon in the world.
3. As their name suggests, pygmies get no larger than three and a half inches and some species will stay as small as an inch long. They also have relatively short lifespans averaging from one to three years.
4. Pygmy chameleons can be housed communally. Provided they live in an enclosure with enough space, food, and humidity, they will coexist happily.
5. When keeping pygmies in captivity, horizontal space is more important than vertical space. These little guys are not big on climbing like most arboreal chameleons. It’s also a great idea to have lots of floor roaming space if you have more than one male in a single enclosure because it gives them territory to “claim” and less chance to encounter each other and engage in aggressive behavior.
Pygmies require high levels of humidity. This guy’s enclosure was just misted, so he’s a little bit wet.
6. Pygmies are avid breeders and because they can be housed together, you’ll need to watch out for gravid females. You can tell when a female is gravid because, like a pregnant human, she will swell up really large in the tummy region. Make sure you watch gravid females closely as it’s not necessary to move pygmies to a separate laying bin when it’s time to lay eggs. The substrate kept year-round in a pygmies’ enclosure should be moist enough and provide enough digging depth for a female to deposit her eggs.
7. Juvenile and baby pygmy chameleons should be fed as many pinhead crickets a they can consume daily. Adults should be consuming approximately four to six small crickets every other day.
The tiniest chameleon we bet you’ll ever see! They require tiny food items such as 1/8″ crickets and hydei fruit flies.
8. When frightened, pygmies can vibrate or buzz in order to attempt to intimidate other chameleons or predators. They definitely aren’t lacking in the personality department.
9. Because they live in leaf litter, pygmies do everything they can to camouflage in with the leaves. Interestingly enough, they can compress their bodies and flatten out to resemble a dead leaf and believe us when we say that if they don’t want to be found, sometimes it’s hard to see them even when they’re right in front of your face!
10. Pygmy chameleons make great pets! Pygmies are usually pretty docile and don’t mind being handled by people. Just be aware of the animal’s posture and behavior while handling because like most chameleons, stress is dangerous to their health.
This pygmy chameleon thinks he’s a jewel thief! :)
If you are interested in owning a tiny, unique, and quirky animal, Backwater Reptiles has pygmy chameleons for sale. We bet you’re going to want multiples. ;-)
