20 Newly Hatched Baby Chameleons At Sydney Zoo Cause Cuteness Overload
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Reptiles make some of the cutest little babies ever! If you don’t believe me, take a look at these photos of 20 newly hatched baby chameleons at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. These curious explorers are causing quite a stir as people travel from near and far to see the cute little color-changing babies.
The Zoo couldn’t be more excited to welcome the cute critters to the family; after all they are the first of their kind born at the zoo in over five years. The lizards are housed in a temperature-controlled enclosure behind the scenes at Taronga’s Reptile World.
The babies are only 5cm long, and will grow to be a much larger (but still small) 30cm. The cartoon-like characters with bulging eyes have won the world over since their birth, melting many hearts with their comical actions and adorable features.
These small green chameleons are veiled chameleons; a breed that is native to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. They do use their color changing powers to camouflage, but more often they change color as a result of temperature changes, stress and courtship.
They use their long, sticky tongues to capture prey, which mostly consists of plants and insects. The chameleons tongue can project 1.5 times its entire body length. The hatchlings recently started using their long tongues to feed on crickets.
Chameleons are always alert to nearby people, predators and food because they have crazy cool eyes that allow them to look forward and backward at the same time. They also have zygodactyls feet so that they can easily cling to branches as they make a life way up in the trees.
Michael McFadden, the reptile supervisor at the Taronga Zoo said, “Veiled chameleons are a visually amazing species that we’re fortunate to have at Taronga. While they’re not endangered, they do play an important educational role in helping us to get people excited about reptiles and reptile conservation.”
Unlike what you see on TV, chameleons don’t change colors to match their background as they go about their day. The chameleons are usually green or brown, but if they are scared, defensive or courting their color will change.
Depending on a couple of factors they can change into numerous shades of green, yellow, aqua, rich dark brown or black. These newly hatched baby chameleons need a solid year to develop the ability to change to all of the different colors.
Veiled chameleons can be found in great abundance. In fact, breeders often sell the sweet reptile as a pet.
Photo Credit: taronga.org.au, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Thanks to: http://www.earthporm.com
earth porm
The Zoo couldn’t be more excited to welcome the cute critters to the family; after all they are the first of their kind born at the zoo in over five years. The lizards are housed in a temperature-controlled enclosure behind the scenes at Taronga’s Reptile World.
The babies are only 5cm long, and will grow to be a much larger (but still small) 30cm. The cartoon-like characters with bulging eyes have won the world over since their birth, melting many hearts with their comical actions and adorable features.
These small green chameleons are veiled chameleons; a breed that is native to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. They do use their color changing powers to camouflage, but more often they change color as a result of temperature changes, stress and courtship.
They use their long, sticky tongues to capture prey, which mostly consists of plants and insects. The chameleons tongue can project 1.5 times its entire body length. The hatchlings recently started using their long tongues to feed on crickets.
Chameleons are always alert to nearby people, predators and food because they have crazy cool eyes that allow them to look forward and backward at the same time. They also have zygodactyls feet so that they can easily cling to branches as they make a life way up in the trees.
Unlike what you see on TV, chameleons don’t change colors to match their background as they go about their day. The chameleons are usually green or brown, but if they are scared, defensive or courting their color will change.
Depending on a couple of factors they can change into numerous shades of green, yellow, aqua, rich dark brown or black. These newly hatched baby chameleons need a solid year to develop the ability to change to all of the different colors.
Veiled chameleons can be found in great abundance. In fact, breeders often sell the sweet reptile as a pet.
Photo Credit: taronga.org.au, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Thanks to: http://www.earthporm.com