Ragged chameleon

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Ragged chameleon
Adult lobed chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis)

Adult lobed chameleon ( Chamaeleo dilepis )

Systematics
without rank: Toxicofera
without rank: Iguana (Iguania)
Family : Chameleons (Chamaeleonidae)
Subfamily : Real chameleons (Chamaeleoninae)
Genre : Chamaeleo
Type : Ragged chameleon
Scientific name
Chamaeleo dilepis
Leach , 1819
Lobed chameleon (detail)

The lobed chameleon ( Chamaeleo dilepis ) is a medium-sized chameleon with a lobe-like bulge on the head and is native to the savannah regions of East and South Africa. It is one of the most widespread representatives of the family chameleons (Chamaeleonidae) and belongs to the genus Chamaeleo , which is still differentiated from the genus Trioceros , within the subfamily of real chameleons (Chamaeleoninae) .

distribution and habitat

The lobed chameleon has the largest distribution area within the family Chamaeleonidae and inhabits large parts of the savannah of East and South Africa, for example. B. Kenya, Tanzania (but without the states west of Nigeria). The chameleon prefers to live on trees and bushes in the savannah landscape (forests, bushes and grass savannas) and is rarely found on the ground. The humidity is 50 to 60% during the day and up to 80% at night.

features

Appearance

Young ragged chameleon

The physique corresponds to the shape typical of chameleons . With the help of the occipital lobes, this species can be easily recognized and distinguished from other species. The scaling is regular. The back, abdominal and throat ridge consists of cone scales that stand close behind one another and become smaller and smaller towards the rear. The coloring and the drawing are very variable. The lobed chameleon shows a completely different color dress depending on the mood. The basic color consists of a green, gray, brown, yellow or a very rare light blue shade. The drawing patterns are very numerous. When stressed, the animals often show a kind of dot drawing (black dots) and a colored line from the shoulder to the center of the body. The males have a higher helmet, larger occipital lobes and a thickened tail. They also have a spur on their hind foot.

size

The achievable size varies according to the exact area of ​​origin of the animals. Some populations (southern Africa) only grow up to about 20 cm otherwise, while in other populations males reach a size of up to 35 cm. The females of this species are slightly larger and can reach a length of up to approx. 42 cm.

Age

The animals live to be 4 to 6 years old.

Behavior and way of life

During the day, the lobed chameleon spends most of its time on trees, bushes, but also on tall grass, rarely on the ground. At night they often climb into higher branches and tree tops.

Territorial behavior

This chameleon species is a very lively, but also shy species. The females behave dominantly towards the males and claim the best places for themselves in the wild. The area is vehemently defended against intruders, with the animals attacking each other with head butts. It is not uncommon for the inferior chameleon to suffer injuries that can also be fatal.

nutrition

Like all other chameleon species, lobed chameleons are primarily small animal eaters. Above all, a wide variety of insects are "shot" with the tongue in the familiar chameleon manner . However, vertebrates up to the size of adolescent mice are not spurned either. In contrast to other chameleons (e.g. veiled chameleon ), Chamaeleo dilepis does not eat plant-based foods. To supplement the water balance, it therefore also regularly absorbs water, for example as dew, which is licked off leaves or sometimes shot with the tongue. In the first few months, ragged chameleons need a lot of food because they grow extremely quickly during this period.

Protection status

Chamaeleo dilepis is subject to the Washington Convention on the Protection of Species II, Appendix B. Purchase and sale are therefore notifiable for the terrarium keeper and dealer. Upon acquisition, the seller is obliged to notify the buyer of this reporting obligation.

literature

  • Friedrich Wilhelm Henkel, Sebastian Heinecke: chameleons in the terrarium. Landbuch-Verlag, Hannover 1993, ISBN 3-7842-0493-7 .
  • Günter Masurat: Multiplication of chameleons. Basics, instructions, experiences. Herpeton, Offenbach 2005, ISBN 3-936180-06-7 .
  • Petr Nečas: chameleons. Colorful jewels of nature. 3rd improved and revised edition. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main 2004, ISBN 3-930612-02-X .
  • Wolfgang Schmidt, Klaus Tamm, Erich Wallikewitz: Chameleons. Dragons of our time. 5th, completely revised and expanded edition. Natur-und-Tier-Verlag, Münster 2010, ISBN 978-3-86659-133-2 .

Web links

Commons : Lobe Chameleon ( Chamaeleo dilepis )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files