The story goes like this: back in the 1970's, the owner of a pet shop in Kane'ohe was given a permit to import these chameleons to sell. Wanting to fatten them up a bit, he released them into his yard with the intention of recapturing them later. And that was that. Jackson's chameleons are now present on all the main islands, with their largest populations on Oahu, Maui and the Big island, to the delight of many, and the grave concern of others. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. First, let's just take a look at what makes people so enamoured with Chamaeleo jacksonii xantholophus, or Jackson's chameleon. It is one of those creatures with so many interesting features. Take the eyes, for example. They can swivel around independently, giving them the ability to focus on to separate images at the same time. And the feet, beautifully adapted for arboreal life, resemble kitchen mitts, though there are five distinct toes and claws as well. The tail is prehensile, good for grasping tree branches, or delightfully coiled up when not needed. It's hard to ignore the three horns on the male, useful for jousting for territory or females. Then there's the tongue: fast as a bullet, long as can be, and having an adhesive quality that holds on to the prey while reeling it in. And of course, they can change color, though they generally keep a distinctive color or pattern. Color changes are achieved by specialized cells called chromatophores, which contain pigments, and are activated in response to interactions between chameleons, as well as other environmental stimuli, such as temperature. | |
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.
1 Comment
greg bischoff
7/29/2014 09:51:27 am
My wife and I were hiking Manoa Valley Arboretum yesterday and right in front of us walked, quite nonchalantly, a gorgeous Jackson's chameleon about a foot long. His turquoise color was eye popping, just brilliant. We talked about getting one but I don't believe in keeping any animal 'captive'. Thanks for your journal, Greg
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