Madagascar is the world's largest and most unique chameleon kingdom
There are nearly 100 species of chameleons
Of these, 59 are unique to Madagascar
New species are still being discovered
Chamaeleon's scientific name is Chamaeleonidae
Translated as Chinese "avoidance".
"Service" means "something that needs to be contributed" in our chinese language.
And the meaning of avoidance is to say,
You can eat food without trying to get it.
A perfect description of the form of chameleon predation.
The chameleon will fascinate everyone who observes it for a long time
It walked and swayed, sliding forward like a tango dance.
It will grasp the branches with claws as soft as a fist,
Gracefully and carelessly swimming over the branches.
If you observe it,
It will also look at you with a cone-shaped eye,
The tail swung gracefully and provocatively, gliding over the leaves of the tamarind tree.
This reptile is a miniature dinosaur, they belong to the same family,
And this family has been on Earth for two hundred million years.
The eccentric appearance of a chameleon would be reminiscent of the primitive lizards of the Mesozoic Era,
The ancient Greeks named them Chamaileon,
It means lions crawling on the ground – it cannot be said that they lack associations,
After all, at that time they didn't know anything about the existence of dinosaurs.
The secret of color
Chameleons are true masters of disguise in nature,
They can follow changes in the environment,
Change the color of your body at any time,
This is both good for camouflaging yourself and for catching prey.
This physical change is regulated by the autonomic nervous system,
This is done through the spread or contraction of pigment cells in the skin.
There is an ever-changing "color warehouse" on the skin of the chameleon,
It stores green, red, blue, purple, yellow, black and other pigment cells.
Once the surrounding light, humidity and temperature change,
Some pigment cells will grow larger, while other pigment cells will shrink.
At this time, the chameleon will regulate the nerves,
Change the color of your body like magic.
The chameleon's tail is long enough to wrap around branches,
The long tongue can reach up to 2.5 times the length of the body,
The speed allows it to catch bugs and eat a full meal in 20 milliseconds.
The chameleon's eyes are also very special, circular, left and right 180 degrees,
Rotate freely up and down, left and right,
What is even more peculiar is that the left and right eyes can move individually,
Gaze in different directions separately,
This makes it easier for it to be keenly aware of prey and danger,
This phenomenon is very rare in animals.
Big Mac - King Chameleon
Parson's chameleon
The King Chameleon is the largest and heaviest chameleon in the world
(The longest chameleon is the Orix chameleon),
They live only on the island of Madagascar,
They feed on insects: butterflies, praying mantises, bees, cockroaches, etc.
Adult kings also preyed on small mammals and birds and even other reptiles, and their tongues were incredibly powerful, and they also reached as many as one and a half times the length of their bodies.
In general, male chameleons are more gorgeous and beautiful than females.
Like most lizards, the difference between the king's male and female is no exception.
It depends on their appearance, body color and body type:
The male has two mighty horns at the top of his nose,
This horn is more obvious at the time of sub-adulthood, which is a sign of males.
Often during the breeding season, the pair becomes a powerful weapon for them to compete for a mate. Females, on the other hand, have blunt noses and do not have any bumps.
In addition, the male's body color is very conspicuous and attractive,
Usually light blue, lime green, bright orange, light green, etc.,
Females, on the other hand, are usually green in color, and even the twill on the back is green.
Master of Disguise - Leaf-tailed Gecko
Uroplatus phantasticus
Leaf-tailed geckos, like a leaf that has been bitten by insects,
It has played a very strong disguise. It is 8–30 cm long and belongs to the nocturnal gecko.
At first glance, it may be a leaf that has withered in the autumn wind.
But when you look closely,
Only to find out that this is a gecko that can be called a "master of disguise".
This reptile is called the leaf-tailed gecko,
It lives in national parks such as Hano Mafana in Madagascar.
When it's time to look at your eyesight, find the leaf-tailed gecko in the picture above
Daytime geckos
Phelsuma laticauda
Compared to the leaf-tailed gecko in the shape of an "alien creature",
Day geckos are much cuter,
Big eyes, a cute look, a soft and harmless look.
Madagascar day geckos,
One of the largest day geckos in the world.
Madagascar day geckos, generally turquoise or yellow-green,
There will also be golden red spots on the back, so it is also called "gold powder keeper".
Pygmy chameleon
Brookesia micra
They are only 2.9cm long
Brookesia micra is the smallest of all chameleons
It is also one of the smallest of the amniotic vertebrates
They live in butterfly valleys on the Falklands
It is possible that the dwarfing effect of the islands has led to their more peculiar physiological structures
It inhabits tropical rainforests at an altitude of 1,000 meters
Leaves or small branches just a few centimeters from the ground
Active during the day and resting at night, feeding on tiny insects
Don't look at it as small as a matchhead
Sensitivity is undiminished!
Labod's Chameleon
Of the 28,300 known tetrapod species,
Discover a new life history.
A chameleon living in the arid regions of southwestern Madagascar,
More than three-quarters of life lives in eggs.
What's even more incredible is that they only have a lifespan of 4 to 5 months after hatching.
Such a fast growth rate, such a short life cycle,
This is unique among other known tetrapods.
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