Guest Author - Susan Hopf
These lizards vary greatly in size, facial ornamentation, protrusions around the face and adornments of crests and/or horn-like projections on the head. They come in a variety of colors and many species can change their coloration.
The process by which this change of color occurs is rather remarkable and occurs at the cellular level. In the layers under their skin some cells contain the ability to reflect different wavelengths of light, which produces different colorations. Other cells contain pigment granules that can rapidly react and change to varying environmental and physiological influences producing the rapid color changes that are so unique to this interesting lizard.
Not all chameleons are able to change color but all chameleons do have certain characteristics in common.
Stereoscopic vision – this allows a 360 degree view of the world, the ability to focus on different objects and activities on each side of their head plus the amazing benefit of finely tuned and exacting focus of both eyes on any one object – most often their prey. Possessing all three of these visual abilities is quite rare in the animal kingdom.
The tongue – Once sighted prey is swiftly delivered into the mouth by a perfect appendage for such delivery. Moving faster than the human eye can follow this complex system of bone, muscle and sinew propels the tongue out at about 26 body lengths per second. The tip is endowed with a suction cup-like structure that is filled with sticky mucus – little escapes this supreme insect catching machine.
Didactyl arrangement of the feet – the fusion of toes in one group of three and one group of two – makes it very easy for the Chameleon to cling to and climb trees. This certainly comes in handy when one spends their whole life in the branches of trees and bushes.
No ears – this would lead one to believe that Chameleons are deaf. Although they do not hear as most mammals, fish and even other lizards do they are very in tune to vibrations of both sound and movement.
Today the Animal Guide card picked is the Chameleon. This card encourages self-confidence and patience. It cautions one to conceal ambition and simply wait for success to reveal itself. This goes against those driven toward goals of any sort but Chameleon is also at one with herself, otherworldly and subtle – patience can be achieved by concentrating on the etheric vibrations (those very vibrations that emanate from the highest plane of the cosmos). For from where better can an awakening begin?
