#trioceros

[herpsandbirds]

Mount Hanang Chameleon (Trioceros hanangensis), family Chamaeleonidae, endemic to the volcanic peak of Mount Hanang in northern Tanzania

photograph by Reptiles4all

[markscherz]

Look I think it's important that you know that in the 1970s, Lindesay Harkness wanted to figure out how chameleons judge distance with their whacky eyes, so she put glasses on them.

[coffeenuts]

[krungu5]

This is Trioceros jacksonii, or Jackson's chameleon! It is, as the name suggests, a chameleon with all of the traits that chameleon's possess. Its most striking characteristic is the horns that protrude from the front of the males head.

These are true horns, with keratinized sheaths and bony cores. They are typically absent on females, although occasionally females will grow small horns or only the rostral horn. Males use their horns to defend their territory from other males, sometimes even knocking rival males off of trees using them! Additionally (while the creatures skeleton is still under discussion), they have acrodont dentition. This means that their teeth lack sockets and protrude directly from the jaw. This means that their teeth do not fall out on their own, unlike mammals.

Like all chameleons, Jackson's chameleon have the ability to change their colour utilizing specialized chromatophores. They lack the wide colour range that many other chameleon species have at their disposal, but they can still have very interesting displays. These displays are typically done to regulate temperature as well as to "communicate" with other chameleons.

Another trait it shares with all chameleons is its ability to move its eyes independently from one another. (They are even able to process depth perception using only one eye!) This (along with their eye's high range of movement) allows the chameleon to see (almost) 360-degrees around itself. These eyes also possess incredibly powerful image magnification abilities, with its intensity being greater than any other known vertebrate. When a chameleon spies its prey, it can quickly shift to binocular vision to focus on its target. If that weren't enough, they are also able to see ultraviolet light. Another quick interesting sensory-related fact: chameleons lack ears! While they possess a cochlea (and can therefore hear some sound), they lack eardrums as well as other structures related to the outer and middle ear. They make up for this by sensing vibrations felt by their quadratic bone.

Another iconic chameleon trait is their long tongue which they can shoot out to catch prey. This tongue extension technique is powered both by an accelerator muscle within the tongue itself, and sheaths between this muscle and the hyoid bone which stores (and subsequently releases) kinetic energy to propel the tongue further.

Unlike most chameleon species which are oviparous, Jackson's chameleon is "ovoviviparous". (Although the usage of this term is often disputed.) This means that their eggs hatch inside of the female instead of being released from the body to hatch later. A typical Jackson's chameleon brood will contain around 20-30 offspring, although only a small fraction of those will survive into adulthood.

CHAMELEONS are arboral lizards that spot their prey visually and catch it by highly precise shots with their long sticky tongue. They scan t

chameleon | Description, Camouflage, & Facts

chameleon, (family Chamaeleonidae), any of a group of primarily arboreal (tree-dwelling) Old World lizards best known for their ability to

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Do Chameleons Have Ears? Can They Hear You? | Pet Keen

Chameleons are one of the most unique reptiles in the world. But you may wonder how they're built. Do they have ears?

Evidence for an elastic projection mechanism in the chameleon tongue.

To capture prey, chameleons ballistically project their tongues as far as 1.5 body lengths with accelerations of up to 500 m s(-2). At the c

How Do Chameleons Change Colors?

Chameleons are famous for their quick color-changing abilities. It's a common misperception that they do this to camouflage themselves again

Bonus content from the March 2010 REPTILES magazine article |!|Mini Dinosaurs.|!|

Jackson's chameleon

A site about reptiles

[snototter]

Female Northern Four-Horned Chameleon (Trioceros quadricornis ssp. gracillor)

by John White  

[animalids]

Coarse chameleon (Trioceros rudis)

Photo by Igor Siwanowicz

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Jackson's Chameleon by James Hale Via Flickr: A Jackson's Chameleon spies a hover-fly. This image was taken near the Kekaulike Highway in Maui, Hawaii. Though not native to Hawaii, these Chameleons run (perhaps a misnomer as they are extremely slow) rampant in this part of the island; presumably because they were accidentally released (as pets) but have grown in number as the climate is perfect for their habitat and reproduction. Finding these creatures is a huge delight as you can carefully pick them up and they will sit on your arm (as this one did for me). Jackson's chameleons are sometimes called three-horned chameleons because males possess three brown horns (shown here): one on the nose (the rostral horn) and one above each superior orbital ridge above the eyes (preocular horns), somewhat reminiscent of the ceratopsid dinosaur genus Triceratops. The coloring is usually bright green, with some individual animals having traces of blue and yellow, but like all chameleons, they change color quickly depending on mood, health, and temperature.

[bleachbath]

Love you more than cupcakes, you filthy rare lizard 🖤 #trioceros #chameleonsofinstagram #herp #chameleon (at Asolo)