Chameleon Season

Resting color.

 

After I've handled the above individual it turned a much darker color.

The rainy season provides a breath of life to many different species of plants and animals. One of my favorites are the chameleons. In our area there is only one species, the Flap-Necked Chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis). During the rainy season they become much more visible and it's not uncommon to see them crossing the roads while driving. They are fascinating creatures that move with an odd gait and their famous eyes move independently of each other, adding to their weirdness. Growing up I had heard that they can change colors and camouflage themselves but this is only half true. They can range from bright green and yellow to dark brown but I wouldn't say they have camouflage abilities, at least certainly nothing like octopuses. It's still neat to see them change color though it is usually a sign that they are stressed out (which is typically from me handling them, sorry guys). What can I say, I can't help myself but to pick them up every single time that I see them. I love feeling their herky-jerky movements as they scramble up my arms and often onto my head. Contrary to many local beliefs, they are not venomous nor dangerous. Their claws can scrape and they can bite though I have never suffered a skin-piercing wound or anything close. 

One of the coolest things I've ever seen is when I was shown how to scan for them at night. My late friend and extremely knowledgeable safari guide from Zimbabwe once showed me at night how to scan vegetation for their presence. His ability to identify them was uncanny, downright scary. We'd be in the dark with a single head-torch and he'd identify tiny individuals under blades of grass. He explained that once you start looking for them and get familiar with their tell tale reflections and how they "disrupt" the normal vegetation patterns, well, then it's easy. It's a skill that I have tried to sharpen over the years but unfortunately I am usually simply wandering about, squinting at the grasses, likely passing over dozens of chameleons.

Very small

Very large.

One of the brownest ones that I have ever seen, clearly trying to blend in.