Chameleons are reptiles of the order Squamata and suborder Sauria, known for their beauty and impressive ability to change colors. Within the Chamaeleonidae family there are about 150 species, some of which can reach up to 60 cm in length, and their diet is based on insects and other small invertebrates. Furthermore, they are considered to be quite territorial and have individual habits, except during the reproductive period.
Their ability to change color stems from two cellular mechanisms. The first mechanism is the chromatophores, cells that have pigments of different colors and change according to brain stimuli, rearranging their compliance and highlighting a particular color. The second mechanism, discovered more recently, are the iridophores, nanocrystals that work like a prism, so that they can reflect various wavelengths of light, which allows them to express various colors. This color change works by means of a neuroendocrine mechanism, not being dependent on local innervation so that, after the cerebral stimulus, the region changes color.
The chameleons' ophthalmic system is very specialized, their eyes are positioned laterally to their skull and have an independent spatial vision field, which is important for their perception of the environment, which will influence one of the functions of their ability to change colors, which would be camouflage. These animals have this ability as a form of self-defense, since they are easy prey for birds, snakes, and even small primates. Another function of color change is communication, depending on the situation chameleons change colors when they want to "transmit" some message, for example: when two males meet and compete for territory, they display bright colors, such as yellow, red and white, to be visible and compete for dominance, the one who displays more colors and is bigger will win the dispute. Another situation is when a male wants to attract the attention of a female, in this context he also shows off with eye-catching colors and the female, depending on her availability status, will respond with a darker color, if she has already been fertilized, or will remain with her greenish-brown color, if she is available. Recent studies also draw attention to a third possible function of color change, which would be involved in a thermoregulation mechanism, which already occurs in other lizards and needs to be studied further in chameleons.
Within the IUCN red list classification, the various species are distributed between Least Concern (80), Near Threatened (37), Vulnerable (25), Endangered (37) and Critically Endangered (10), and for some there is not enough data for their classification (10). These animals have a low dispersal capacity and their main threats involve changes in their natural environments, climate change and increasing urban sprawl. Thus, based on this information, it is possible to think of conservation plans for the species, such as better management and protection of the environment and the species itself.
Comments