Some Serious Side-Eye

What am I looking at?

This young female Fischer’s chameleon (Kinyongia fischeri) is perched on a branch and taking in its surroundings. You can see one of its eyes (1), covered by a thick eyelid; its zygodactylous feet (2), with toes arranged in bundles of twos and threes facing each other; its curled, prehensile tail (3); and the two knobs on its nose (4) that in a male look like long horns.

Click on the right arrow to see another view of this chameleon.

Biology in the background

This species is named after German herpetologist Johann Gustav Fischer, who first described it (herpetologists are scientists who study reptiles and amphibians). These chameleons are native to the Nguru and Nguu Mountains of Tanzania but are often kept as pets because of their distinctive horns. The horns can grow nearly as long as the lizard’s head and turn brown with age.

Like most chameleons, they can change the color of their skin for camouflage, in response to temperature changes, and as a means of communication with other chameleons. The changes aren’t dramatic in this species and are mostly limited to variations in brightness rather than a change of hue. These chameleons mainly hunt insects from ambush, sitting still under the cover of foliage. When an insect approaches within striking distance, the chameleon launches its ballistic, sticky tongue to catch the prey.

An adult Fischer’s chameleon can measure up to 28 centimeters long (almost 12 inches).

Technique

These images were created using macrophotography.