Seeing as today is the first day of Hawaii Invasive Species Awareness Week, I thought it was time to write a post on the beautiful but invasive (and illegal) veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus. Most likely introduced to the islands through the pet trade, the male lizard can get as large as two feet. It's a habitat generalist, at home in dry low elevation areas as well as upland wet forests. And when it comes to dinner, these arboreal lizards aren't fussy either: plants, flowers, insects, small mammals and even birds will do. Putting these generalist qualities all together, you can imagine the destruction they could do to native bird and insect populations. Oh, and they can have babies - lots of babies. Unlike the Jackson's chameleon which gives birth live, these females lay eggs. After digging a hole in the ground she lays down thirty to ninety-five eggs per clutch, with up to three clutches per year. Half a year later, the baby chameleons hatch, and begin what can be an eight-year life span in the wild. It seems that the veiled chameleons are isolated to just a few spots in Maui, but the public is urged to contact officials if one is observed. Non-breeding females and juvies are mostly green with some white markings; larger adults can display vertical stripes, and a crayon-box of colors are possible depending on social and environmental factors. A fringe lines the belly from snout to tail. Like other chameleons, their eyes can move independently, and their crazy long tongues can be rapidly projected to ambush an unwary meal. Their prehensile tail helps them hang tight in the trees, and their flattened bodies can do a pretty good leaf imitation when they sway. But despite their intriguing features, best to recognize that these creatures pose a veiled threat to Hawaii's native treasures. | |
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Last week, I went into the garden shed to do a little clean-up, and noticed a beach towel I had left in there. Unfolding the towel, I discovered two hard shelled and pearly-white eggs the size of edamame beans. One had hatched, but the hatchling was nowhere to be found. I quickly decided that I had to find out what was inside the other egg. The size gave me a pretty good idea it had to be a lizard, and I remembered reading somewhere that the brown anoles lay one to two eggs, and there are a ton of anoles in my backyard, so that was a possibility. Geckos also will often lay two eggs; ultimately it was a matter of setting up a hatching container and waiting for the outcome. I carefully placed the egg in simple container in some paper toweling and left that in the shed. I didn't have to wait long; in just a matter of a few days, out popped a mini gecko, with what seemed to be the egg skin still clinging to its back. I was happy to add this little trouper to the established gecko population around the house - they do such a nice job with cockroach extermination. If you know someone who wants to try hatching some gecko eggs of their own, I've read that papaya, banana and palm trees are good places to find eggs. Or try the garden shed.
I wish I could end the tale of the Jackson's chameleon there, but the story is just getting started. As populations of these chameleons were getting established, there was little to no research on their ecological impact. In 2009, a study was published, entitled: A reptilian smoking gun: first record of invasive Jackson’s chameleon (Chamaeleo jacksonii) predation on native Hawaiian species. In this report, the authors documented predation of native tree snails by Jackon's chameleons. Further research is needed, but let it be yet another cautionary tale about how exotic species can disrupt the delicate balance of island ecosystems.
Of the eight gecko species here in Hawaii, the house gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus, is probably the one you are most familiar with. We've all seen their gravity defying jaunts across the ceiling or watched them chasing down cockroaches and moths. Yet we may not realize just how remarkable these lizards are. For starters, they can vocalize, chirping out the familiar tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk at night, and yet vocalizations are unusual for members of the Order Squamata, the group that includes all lizards and snakes. Secondly, they'll kill it in a staring contest as their eyelids are fixed; no blinking for this guy. Instead, they clean their eyes with their tongues. Their eyes are quite beautiful, with a vertical pupil that resembles a keyhole. They are also capable of caudal autotomy, the ability to lose part of their tail, as a defense mechanism. The severed appendage will continue to wriggle, further confusing the would-be predator.
And if that's not enough, consider their extraordinary toe pads. They are covered with small hairs called setae, which are mere micrometers in diameter and spatula-shaped at their ends. This allows for a great deal of surface area contact, and generates van der Waals forces, the same forces you learned about in Chemistry class that contribute to molecular bonding. This is what allows the gecko to do its spider-man thing. Scientists around the world are working on creating a synthetic version of the gecko toe pad. "Gecko tape," as it is often referred to, is still in its early phase of development, but could one day be used to hang televisions on walls, create fumble-free football gloves, or replace sutures in surgery. Others envision it on the boots of astronauts, enabling them to walk on the space craft unencumbered by harnesses. That little friend hanging around your porch light could one day have us literally climbing the walls.
Update: Aug 26th, 2014: Seems as though there may be a color morph of the brown anole. While unusual, this red variation of Anolis sagrei has been documented. When an interestingly colored lizard showed up in the backyard of reader on Oahu, she and her husband took the time to send me a photo. Please let me know if you've seen similar lizards.
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