Tiny Miracle Dwarf Chameleons!
Come and see mother nature's little miracles, as the babies are only 2 cm at birth!
Some of you have seen previous posts of the dwarf chameleons that live here at our complex in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
The Cape Dwarf Chameleons are only found in Cape Town and surrounding areas.
In order to bring you up to speed, I have entered the dates of the photos when I took them.
Come and have a look at who showed up today.
The first 2 photos we taken by me on 02 September 2019.
I remember the delight when I saw them for the first time. Gawping at them like a fish out of water!
The next 2 photos were taken by me on 29 August 2019
Mommy at the left and the baby to the right of the picture!
A USB dongle to show you why they are called dwarfs. This is the adult mom that is not bigger than my thumb!
The next 2 photos were taken by me on 28 August 2019.
Just look how lovely she is and her darker colors signify that she is a female!
The baby of course was still dull colored and his size was about 2 or 3 cm (Centimeters)!
The last 3 photos were taken by me today 7 January 2020
And here is the baby today. A male, due to his bright colors, and also camouflaged to match the sun's color on the tree leaves!
It is human nature to catch and hold them, but I decided never to touch them again.
I was so delighted to see him again, as he is now a teenager and his growth means that there is plenty of food available for them!
A strong young climber hunting insects to strike with his tongue.
Did you know that their tongue rolled up in the sac below their mouths is twice as long as their entire length.
It is spring loaded and they can strike an insect with it in milliseconds!
And the final picture is just to show some love to all of you with this arty heart symbol.
Some more facts here about the Cape Dwarf Chameleons;
"The Cape dwarf chameleon grows to over 15 cm (5.9 in) in length, including the tail, with males and females reaching similar adult sizes. They are ovoviviparous, but examination in controlled captivity has shown the very soft egg-like membrane around the young is discarded immediately on birth. The young resemble miniature versions of the adults, with muted colours, and typically reach no more than 2 cm in length at birth. Adults can vary quite significantly in colour variety, saturation and pattern, some appearing much more vibrant than others. Like most chameleons, the tail is prehensile, and the feet are well evolved to grasping twigs, with minute claws on the end that improve grip".
"Normally very slow moving, chameleons have a characteristic shake, which may make them look more like leaves to prey and predators. When provoked, they can speed up to several centimetres a second. When further provoked, they may inflate themselves, hiss, change colour dramatically, and bite. They do not have sharp teeth, so their bites rarely inflict more than a slight pinch".
These chameleons are protected by government laws and yet people catch and sell them as pets. I have been asked many times to reveal their location, but it is my secret and that's why they are flourishing.
Note: All photos and photo descriptions are my own and only the last sections marked with inverted commas ("") are not my own and its source was duly cited!
We hope that you have enjoyed the pictures and the story and thank you for visiting the blog of @papilloncharity
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The Cap Dwarf Chameleons seem to be very rare if they are only found in the area you mentioned. For people to catch them, which is illegal, they must get a pretty good buck for them.
Very cool that you were able to capture the baby chameleon and get pictures of it as it got older.
They are indeed rare my friend and very expensive on the black market.
But I am making sure that these little ones will never be sold.
Blessings!
They are so cool and so tiny, you got great shots of them, such amazing little creatures
Thank you JJ and they are certainly little miracles.
Blessings!
These chameleons are precious @papilloncharity :) Truly a delightful discover, so tiny! I'm always amazed with God's attention to detail! fingers, toes....and even the ability to change colors! Blessings!
They are indeed rare little ones Mrs. Bird and mother nature has given me the task to protect them against human predators.
Real little live miracles!
Blessings and thank you!
Thank you Mrs. Bird, that's why I call them little miracles.
Mosquito and other pest cleaners!
Blessings!
Best kept secret, he is a handsome young prince of the bush and should remain that way.
We had one venture into our kitchen as children, Dad had ferns and violets in the window sill where the chameleon took up residence, we were not allowed to touch only look. The chameleon stayed a couple of weeks and went on it's way, very special little creatures. Wonder if they still exist up on the West Rand now.
Here in Durban I have not seen one in the last 5 years you never know when next you have the good fortune of them visiting, lovely this family has stayed on Stephen.
They seem to like that bush Lady Joan and I know that there's others about, but I don't want to disturb them, as they might leave if they feel threatened. They give live birth and there's normally more than one, but I have never seen a birth. Apparently they climb out of the birth sac immediately and they are the size of a pinky (small finger) nail.
Glad that you had an experience with one of them.
Blessings and thank you!
Howdy sir papilloncharity! Amazing. Those little guys eat small insects I assume? Most people would never see them!
Greetings Sir @janton, they love mosquitoes and similar sized insects!
Although they are by law protected, people still steal them and sell them to the wildlife traders.
Blessings!
Howdy today sir papilloncharity! Oh, so we might see some of them end up over here unfortunately.