The chameleon is a small scaly reptile. It has a great ability to change the color of its body and there are about 160 species today . It inhabits mostly in Africa, although the island of Madagascar has 40% of all the chameleon species in the world. In Europe there is only the common chameleon. It is a fairly ancient animal of which there are fossils from the Paleocene. In addition, they can camouflage themselves in just 20 seconds to protect themselves from their predators .
These animals inhabit very varied environments that range from desert areas to jungles or mountains. They are ovivorous reptiles, which feed mostly on insects such as mosquitoes and flies, although they also consume snails, spiders or moths. Larger chameleons are capable of feeding on other vertebrate animals or even other lizards or birds. Another of the peculiarities that the chameleon has is its ability to rotate its eyes, since they can rotate them separately at an angle of 180 degrees, which allows them to increase their field of vision.
On the other hand, its tongue can measure twice as long as its body, allowing it to capture its prey in less than a second. The vast majority of chameleons have diurnal habits, as they use the sun’s rays to regulate their body temperature and survive. They feed or are in charge of looking for water after having reached the desired temperature. In addition, they often use their tail to remain stable in the branches of trees or to sense the presence of possible predators. Likewise, chameleons do not transform their color depending on the environment, but rather to be able to communicate or respond to certain stimuli.
This animal lacks vocal cords , although they can emit a kind of hiss imperceptible to people. In short, it is a rather peculiar animal that transforms its color even during courtship , to win the approval of the female. A reptile that, despite not having an external ear, is capable of detecting sounds that are imperceptible to humans and that today continues to amaze with its abilities.
