Cape Dwarf Chameleon
Encyclopedia
The Cape Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion pumilum), is a chameleon
native to the South Africa
n province of the Western Cape
where it is restricted to the region around Cape Town
. As with most chameleons, its tongue is twice the length of its body and it can be shot out of its mouth using a special muscle in the jaw. This gives the chameleon the ability to catch insects some distance away.
of the Cape species
This is now known to be wrong however; B. pumilum does not appear to have any particularly close living relatives. Like the Knysa Dwarf Chameleon it seems to be a basal offshoot of the ancestral stock which gave rise to all Bradypodion.
. however,
living as they do in the area now dominated by the city of Cape Town
, their natural habitat is being largely covered by urban expansion.
This chameleon readily adapts to living in town gardens, so the urbanisation itself is not necessarily a threat. However, the use of hedge trimmers and the introduction of domestic cats have seen the species vanishing from large areas of Cape Town.
around the young which is discarded immediately on birth. The young resemble miniature versions of the adults with muted colours, and typically reach no more than 2cm in length at birth. Adults can vary quite significantly in colour variety, saturation and pattern, some appearing much more vibrant than others. The tail is prehensile, and the feet are well evolved to grasping twigs, with minute claws on the end which improve their grip.
Normally very slow moving, chameleons have a characteristic shake which may let them look more like leaves to prey and predators. When provoked, they can speed up to several centimetres a second. When further provoked, they will inflate themselves, hiss, change colour dramatically and bite. They do not have sharp teeth, so their bite rarely inflicts more than a slight pinch.
Chameleon
Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
native to the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n province of the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
where it is restricted to the region around Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. As with most chameleons, its tongue is twice the length of its body and it can be shot out of its mouth using a special muscle in the jaw. This gives the chameleon the ability to catch insects some distance away.
Taxonomy
In the past most South African dwarf chameleons were considered to be a subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Cape species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
This is now known to be wrong however; B. pumilum does not appear to have any particularly close living relatives. Like the Knysa Dwarf Chameleon it seems to be a basal offshoot of the ancestral stock which gave rise to all Bradypodion.
Endangered status
The Cape Dwarf Chameleon is not an CITES-protected endangered speciesEndangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. however,
living as they do in the area now dominated by the city of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, their natural habitat is being largely covered by urban expansion.
This chameleon readily adapts to living in town gardens, so the urbanisation itself is not necessarily a threat. However, the use of hedge trimmers and the introduction of domestic cats have seen the species vanishing from large areas of Cape Town.
Description
The Cape Dwarf Chameleon is known to grow over 15 centimeters in length, including the tail, with males and females reaching similar adult sizes. They are ovoviviparous, but examination in controlled captivity has shown that there is a very soft egg-like membraneBiological membrane
A biological membrane or biomembrane is an enclosing or separatingmembrane that acts as a selective barrier, within or around a cell. It consists of a lipid bilayer with embedded proteins that may constitute close to 50% of membrane content...
around the young which is discarded immediately on birth. The young resemble miniature versions of the adults with muted colours, and typically reach no more than 2cm in length at birth. Adults can vary quite significantly in colour variety, saturation and pattern, some appearing much more vibrant than others. The tail is prehensile, and the feet are well evolved to grasping twigs, with minute claws on the end which improve their grip.
Normally very slow moving, chameleons have a characteristic shake which may let them look more like leaves to prey and predators. When provoked, they can speed up to several centimetres a second. When further provoked, they will inflate themselves, hiss, change colour dramatically and bite. They do not have sharp teeth, so their bite rarely inflicts more than a slight pinch.
