Meller's Chameleon
Encyclopedia
Trioceros melleri, with the common name
s Meller's Chameleon and Giant One-horned Chameleon is the largest species
of chameleon
from the Africa
n mainland (i.e. the largest of the chameleons not native to Madagascar
). Meller's Chameleon gets its common name from a "Dr. Meller" who is mentioned by biologist and taxon authority John Gray
in the section about the habitat of the species in his 1865 description.
savannah
s and interior mountain
s of East Africa
and may be found in Malawi
, northern Mozambique
, and Tanzania
.
The largest of the chameleons from the African mainland, large male T. melleri typically reach 24 inches (61 cm) in length, but exceptionally large specimens have reputedly reached over 30 inches (76.2 cm) in length and have weighed 21 oz (595.3 g).
Females are generally smaller than males, and have less developed dorsal and medial crests. The head of this species is relatively small in relation to the rest of its body and has a more elongated shape in comparison to other chameleons in its genus
.
T. melleri is stout-bodied and has a relatively stubby tail one one third the length of its body. A low, scalloped crest extends from just behind the casque of the head through the proximal half of the tail, and a sharp medial crest runs from the lizard's eyes to the tip of its snout, which bears a single small horn. This chameleon bears greatly enlarged occipital lobe
s. It has heterogeneous scales which vary shape and size to various parts of its body and large, granular scales distributed homogeneously on the trunk and limbs. There are longitudinal rows of large, granular scales in the chameleon's gular region, one of its most distinctive characteristics.
Spots and broad vertical bands on the chameleon's flanks range in color from brown, dark green, yellow or even black. The basic coloration of the creature is a deep forest green with white stripes, but like many chameleons it can change its color depending on various circumstances. If being fed or handled they might display black and white dots. When basking in the sun, the side of their body towards the sunlight can turn dark green or black, while the rest of the animal stays much lighter.
Meller's Chameleon has color patterns associated with stress. Mild excitement or stress is indicated by dark spotting overlaying the reptile's normal color. These dark green spots turn to black mottling as the chameleon gets more upset. Severe stress turns the chameleon first charcoal gray, followed by pure white adorned with yellow stripes. A sick Meller's Chameleon may be mottled with brown, gray, pink, or white. A gravid
animal is black, cream, and gray colored and will be bulging with eggs.
With great care, Melleri are one of the few species that can be housed in groups. This doesn't always work as some individuals will not get along. Constant observation is required to ensure the animals safety. Their long tongues can reach prey up to 20 inches (50.8 cm) away.
Females annually produce a single clutch of up to 80 eggs
. Newborn Meller's Chameleons are about 4 inches (10.2 cm) in length and must be fed Drosophilidae
and tiny cricket
s for the first three weeks of their lives. Afterwards, they accept house flies and larger insect
prey including cricket
s, locust
s, silkworms, and cockroach
es. They may live as long as twelve years.
. The species has been successfully bred in captivity as long as specific requirements are met and are recommended for advanced hobbyists.
As they are large lizards, a large enclosure is recommended. One breeder recommends placing the chameleon's cage above human eye level so that it can feel elevated in its environment.
High day time temperatures (80-85°F or 27-29°C) are needed for the reptile
's enclosure. Simulating the natural temperature changes of the creature's native environment, a night time temperature of the low 60s Fahrenheit (~16°C) is recommended as well. They need considerable hydration and various dietary supplement
s are recommended.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s Meller's Chameleon and Giant One-horned Chameleon is the largest 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...
of chameleon
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...
from the Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n mainland (i.e. the largest of the chameleons not native to Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
). Meller's Chameleon gets its common name from a "Dr. Meller" who is mentioned by biologist and taxon authority John Gray
John Edward Gray
John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
in the section about the habitat of the species in his 1865 description.
Range
T. melleri is relatively common in the bushyShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
savannah
Savannah
Savannah or savanna is a type of grassland.It can also mean:-People:* Savannah King, a Canadian freestyle swimmer* Savannah Outen, a singer who gained popularity on You Tube...
s and interior mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s of East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
and may be found in Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, northern Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, and Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
.
Description
Females are generally smaller than males, and have less developed dorsal and medial crests. The head of this species is relatively small in relation to the rest of its body and has a more elongated shape in comparison to other chameleons in its genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
.
T. melleri is stout-bodied and has a relatively stubby tail one one third the length of its body. A low, scalloped crest extends from just behind the casque of the head through the proximal half of the tail, and a sharp medial crest runs from the lizard's eyes to the tip of its snout, which bears a single small horn. This chameleon bears greatly enlarged occipital lobe
Occipital lobe
The occipital lobe is the visual processing center of the mammalian brain containing most of the anatomical region of the visual cortex. The primary visual cortex is Brodmann area 17, commonly called V1...
s. It has heterogeneous scales which vary shape and size to various parts of its body and large, granular scales distributed homogeneously on the trunk and limbs. There are longitudinal rows of large, granular scales in the chameleon's gular region, one of its most distinctive characteristics.
Spots and broad vertical bands on the chameleon's flanks range in color from brown, dark green, yellow or even black. The basic coloration of the creature is a deep forest green with white stripes, but like many chameleons it can change its color depending on various circumstances. If being fed or handled they might display black and white dots. When basking in the sun, the side of their body towards the sunlight can turn dark green or black, while the rest of the animal stays much lighter.
Meller's Chameleon has color patterns associated with stress. Mild excitement or stress is indicated by dark spotting overlaying the reptile's normal color. These dark green spots turn to black mottling as the chameleon gets more upset. Severe stress turns the chameleon first charcoal gray, followed by pure white adorned with yellow stripes. A sick Meller's Chameleon may be mottled with brown, gray, pink, or white. A gravid
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
animal is black, cream, and gray colored and will be bulging with eggs.
With great care, Melleri are one of the few species that can be housed in groups. This doesn't always work as some individuals will not get along. Constant observation is required to ensure the animals safety. Their long tongues can reach prey up to 20 inches (50.8 cm) away.
Diet and reproduction
Like most chameleons, Meller's are strict carnivores eating insects, smaller lizards, spiders, worms, and caterpillars. Large specimens have been known to eat small birds.Females annually produce a single clutch of up to 80 eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
. Newborn Meller's Chameleons are about 4 inches (10.2 cm) in length and must be fed Drosophilidae
Drosophilidae
Drosophilidae is a diverse, cosmopolitan family of flies, which includes fruit flies. Another family of flies called Tephritidae also includes fruit flies. The best known species of Drosophilidae is Drosophila melanogaster, within the genus Drosophila, and this species Is used extensively for...
and tiny cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
s for the first three weeks of their lives. Afterwards, they accept house flies and larger insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
prey including cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
s, locust
Locust
Locusts are the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory...
s, silkworms, and cockroach
Cockroach
Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea, of which about 30 species out of 4,500 total are associated with human habitations...
es. They may live as long as twelve years.
Captivity
T. melleri specimens vary from timid to moderately aggressive towards humans, with some specimens being reported as friendly. Wild caught specimens of T. melleri have fared poorly in captivity, often imported with heavy parasite loads, they have a high mortality rateMortality rate
Mortality rate is a measure of the number of deaths in a population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit time...
. The species has been successfully bred in captivity as long as specific requirements are met and are recommended for advanced hobbyists.
As they are large lizards, a large enclosure is recommended. One breeder recommends placing the chameleon's cage above human eye level so that it can feel elevated in its environment.
High day time temperatures (80-85°F or 27-29°C) are needed for the reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
's enclosure. Simulating the natural temperature changes of the creature's native environment, a night time temperature of the low 60s Fahrenheit (~16°C) is recommended as well. They need considerable hydration and various dietary supplement
Dietary supplement
A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet...
s are recommended.