Presentation in Cologne about chameleon keeping

Presentation in Cologne about chameleon keeping

by Alex Negro Haltungsberichte Live lectures

Jean-Dominique Dufraine, member of the AG Chameleons, will give a detailed lecture on 16 December 2023 in Cologne on the keeping of two chameleon species.

It will be about the tiger chameleon, Archaius tigris, and a species of stump-tailed chameleon, Rieppeleon brevicaudatus. The tiger chameleon comes from the Seychelles and has been successfully bred in terrariums for many years. In recent years it has found an increasingly small group of enthusiasts. The fact that the tiger chameleon can be kept well in a group is particularly important. Rieppeleon brevicaudatus, a species originally from Tansania, has been somewhat forgotten in recent years, having been bred in quite good numbers in the 2000s and up to the beginning of the 2010s. Wrongly so! Because these are very interesting chameleons that are quite easy to keep. Jean-Dominique has been keeping and breeding both species for several years and passes on tips and tricks on keeping and breeding. He hopes that both species will have a good chance of being reintroduced into German terrariums in the future and would like to actively contribute to spreading the joy of keeping these animals.

Jean-Dominique Dufraine Keeping and breeding Archaius tigris and Rieppeleon brevicaudatus
Verein für Aquarien- und Terrarienkunde Köln-Mühlheim e.V. 1910
DGHT City Group Cologne
Restaurant “Steakhaus bei Marco”
Clevischer Ring 120-122
51063 Cologne
Start of lecture 20.00 hrs

Photo: Archaius tigris by Jean-Dominique-Dufraine

Presentation on Oman in Francfort

Presentation on Oman in Francfort

by Alex Negro Reiseberichte Live lectures

On 15 December 2023, Benjamin Scheler from Burgrieden will give an illustrated talk in Frankfurt am Main about a trip to Oman. The Sultanate of Oman is located in the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula and borders the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

As a desert connoisseur, Benjamin Scheler travelled through Oman for two weeks last year. He travelled around 4500 km. From his starting point in Muscat, he travelled south-east down the coast. A short detour to the country’s largest island – Masirah – then took him to Dhofar. This southernmost province of Oman is the only area of the Arabian Peninsula to feel the influence of the summer monsoon. The flora and fauna are correspondingly different compared to the rest of the country. From there, we travelled a little further north, away from the coast, into the desert areas. We then took the only road through the arid hinterland back to the capital Muscat. Benjamin was able to track down 45 species of reptiles and amphibians, some in unexpectedly high numbers – including chameleons.

All in all, you can expect a great, colourful presentation that will certainly not only delight desert fans!

Benjamin Scheler A (first) trip to Oman to find reptiles and amphibians
DGHT City Group Frankfurt
Zoo school of Zoo Frankfurt
Alfred-Brehm-Platz 16
60316 Frankfurt am Main
Einlass ab 18.30 Uhr, Vortragsbeginn 19.00 Uhr

Photo: Chamaeleo arabicus in Oman, photographed by Benjamin Scheler

The Indian Chameleon in Solapur (India)

The Indian Chameleon in Solapur (India)

by Alex Negro Verbreitung Science

It has long been known that the Indian chameleon occurs in Maharashtra. A recently published survey study has even found evidence of it in an area near Solapur that is covered only with grass and bushes.

The area studied is a 15 km² area of semi-arid grassland around a site earmarked for an airport at an altitude of 450 to 500 metres. The nearest village is Boramani, a small town just outside the city of Solapur in the state of Maharashtra in western India. For one year, about half of the grassland was surveyed four times a month for the presence of reptiles. Squares of 50 metres x 50 metres were laid out, each at least 300 metres apart. Each observation period consisted of five hours and only observations with the naked eye.

During the study period, 888 individuals of 14 different reptile species were recorded. Of these, more than 300 were Sitana laticeps, a fan-throated lizard. Among the species found were two Chamaeleo zeylanicus. The activity of the lizards increased from March, stabilised during the monsoon season in June-July and then declined again from August.

The authors argue in favour of protecting the grassland area due to the existing biodiversity. This should prevent the construction of the airport and thus the disappearance of the habitat.

Ecology of lizards in an ecologically significant semi-arid grassland patch near Solapur, Maharashtra, India
Mahindrakar Yogesh Y., Waghmare Akshay M., Hippargi Rajshekhar V.
International Journal of Zoological Investigations 9 (2) 2023, pp. 210-223
DOI: 10.33745/ijzi.2023.v09i02.022

Knysna dwarf chameleons: city vs. forest habitat

Knysna dwarf chameleons: city vs. forest habitat

by Alex Negro Science

How do chameleons change when their natural habitat has to make way for human settlements? International scientists recently got to the bottom of this question. They hypothesised that a chameleon living in a suburban area must differ from its forest-dwelling conspecifics in terms of injury frequency, external characteristics and bite force as an expression of changed living conditions.

Between 2020 and 2022, 276 Knysna dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion damaranum) were studied in South Africa. The locations chosen were George and Knysna, two towns located around 60 kilometres apart on the south coast of South Africa. George was founded in 1811 and now has over 220,000 inhabitants, while Knysna was founded in 1825 and currently has just under 76,000 inhabitants, although they live in much less space and are therefore much more densely populated. In both cities, Bradypodion damaranum were caught in urban environments (private gardens, public parks, roadsides), examined and then released. Chameleons were also studied 10 to 12 kilometres away in their natural habitat (temperate forest). The adult chameleons were measured and photographed. The data was analysed and compared using various methods. Wounds, scars and bone fractures visible to the naked eye were counted as injuries. To measure bite force, the animals were each encouraged to bite five times on a special piezoelectric measuring device.

The analysis showed that the dwarf chameleons in urban environments had significantly lower casques and shorter gulars. The males from the city, however, had larger and wider heads. The female dwarf chameleons from the forest had significantly larger casque spurs. The males in the city had significantly more injuries (88.1%) compared to the males in the forest (72.5%). In the city, the dwarf chameleons also bit harder than in the forest when casque height and parietal crest were included in the calculations. However, when snout-vent length was included instead, there was no difference in bite force.

Differences between urban and natural populations of dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion damaranum): a case of urban warfare?
Melissa A. Petford, Anthony Herrel, Graham J. Alexander, Krystal A. Tolley
Urban Ecosystems 2023
DOI: 0.1007/s11252-023-01474-1

Development of sexual characteristics in African chameleons

Development of sexual characteristics in African chameleons

by Alex Negro Science

Many chameleons show strong sexual dimorphism, meaning that the males look very different from the females of the same species. Bright colours, dorsal sails and bizarre rostral appendages are among the best-known sexual characteristics. However, exactly when the different characteristics developed in chameleons is largely unexplored. A publication by two US scientists now addresses this issue.

The two researchers collected morphological data from two standard works on African and Malagasy chameleons, which they then analysed together with phylogenetic trees. They identified eleven sexual characteristics that could be of interest for intraspecific behaviour: Casque, rostral appendages, supraorbital appendages, occipital lobes, dorsal crest, dorsal spines, gular crest, gular spines, ventral crest, tail crest and tail spines.

Surprisingly, there was no difference between the sexes in terms of the frequency with which traits were acquired or lost throughout evolution. Whether there is a connection to the habitat of the respective species is evaluated contradictorily. The oldest sexual characteristics include the rostral appendages and dorsal crest in males, which were acquired at least 65 million years ago. In contrast, the oldest sexual characteristics in females were the casque and dorsal crest. Six of the eleven features (rostral appendages, supraorbital appendages, dorsal crest/spines, caudal crest/spines) first appeared in males and only 15 million years later on average in females. In males, the number of sexual characteristics correlated significantly with snout-vent-length.

The genera Trioceros (up to 10 features in one species), Chamaeleo and Furcifer (up to seven features each in one species) showed a particularly high number of sexual characteristics at the same time. In contrast, there were particularly few sexual characteristics in the genera Brookesia, Calumma and Rieppeleon. None of the eleven sexual characteristics could be identified in the females of the genera Furcifer, Kinyongia, Nadzikambia and Rhampholeon; presumably they have lost these characteristics in the course of evolution.

Macroevolution of sexually selected weapons: weapon evolution in chameleons
Melissa Van Kleeck-Hann & John J. Wiens

Evolution 70 (10), 2023, pp. 2277-2290
DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad138

Panther chameleons looking for new homes

Panther chameleons looking for new homes

by Alex Negro Abzugeben General topics

A long-standing member of the AG Chameleons is looking for new owners for ten panther chameleons (Furcifer pardalis) at short notice. There are ten females, including animals between 10 months and three years old. Four females belong to the local form Ambilobe, five to the local form Sambava. The animals are available individually or in groups free of charge. If you are interested, please write to us at info@agchamaeleons.de for further information.

Lecture for vets on prophylaxis for chameleons

Lecture for vets on prophylaxis for chameleons

by Alex Negro Tiermedizin Webinars

On 18 November 2023, the spokesperson of the AG Chameleons will give a lecture for veterinary colleagues on which prophylactic measures are possible and useful in veterinary practice. To a large extent, prophylaxis includes keeping the chameleons in the terrarium itself, so a large part of the lecture will deal with what needs to be considered when keeping chameleons and which common mistakes still lead to husbandry-related diseases or injuries in chameleons. She will also discuss the collection of the so-called minimum database during the annual check-up in the veterinary practice and show examples of diseases recognised early and late. A Q&A session directly after the respective presentations rounds off the short excursion into prophylaxis in chameleons.

Registration for the conference is also possible for non-DGHT members who are veterinarians – see the link below to the mVet conference platform.

Dr. Alexandra Laube Prophylaxis for chameleons – is it possible and if so, how?
59. Conference of DGHT working group amphibian and reptile diseases (AG ARK)
Online

Photo: Calumma amber in the Montagne d’Ambre, Madagascar, photographed by A. Laube

Lecture in Ulm about Spain

Lecture in Ulm about Spain

by Alex Negro Reiseberichte Live lectures

Heiko Werning, known as the editor of Reptilia and columnist for the taz, will be giving an illustrated lecture on 18 November 2023 in Neu-Ulm (Bavaria) about not only, but also chameleons in Spain.

On an exciting journey across Spain, he will show how many reptiles and amphibians the European country has to offer. And the diversity is impressive! Heiko’s journey begins in the Basque Country and then leads through Galicia to northern Castile with its beautiful salamanders. In the central Spanish mountain ranges, the herpetologist encounters the quaint mountain lizards. A few hours’ drive west of Madrid, in Extremadura, Heiko finds himself among vultures in the truest sense of the word. And on the southern Spanish Atlantic coast, he finally encounters the European chameleon and its habitat. Finally, Heiko takes his viewers to south-east Spain, where he has found, among other things, Moorish tortoises and the European fringed finger in the only desert in Europe. All in all, a colourful firework display of images and entertaining anecdotes – every reptile lover should get their money’s worth here!

Heiko Werning The Spanish mainland – A destination (also) for herpetological gourmets
DGHT City Group Ulm
Il Mio Ristorante
Europastraße 15
89231 Neu-Ulm
Meeting from 6.30 pm

Histology of the chameleon liver

Histology of the chameleon liver

by Alex Negro Tiermedizin Science

Histological examinations of organ tissue are part of every pathological examination in veterinary medicine. They are also frequently carried out in reptiles, but there are few studies on the histology of healthy organ tissue. An Arabic publication now deals with histological sections of chameleon livers.

Seven adult Yemen chameleons were captured in Abha City in the Aseer region and then killed with ether inhalation. The livers were placed in formalin and then poured into paraffin to make sections.

Morphologically, the liver was found to be a two-lobed, dark brown organ approximately 3.7 x 2 cm in size, which lies in the coelomic cavity in front of the stomach and surrounds the gall bladder. As in other animals, a capsule of connective tissue surrounds the liver.

Histologically, the liver of Yemen chameleons resembles that of other vertebrates in many respects. The liver capsule consists of closely spaced collagenous fibres and smooth muscle fibres. Normally, trabecular connective tissue divides the liver itself into many small lobules, but such a structure does not appear to be present in Yemen chameleons. In contrast to mammals, the liver cells (hepatocytes) are not arranged radially around a vein, but rather irregularly in follicles or alveoli. The hepatocytes are surrounded by capillary blood vessels. So-called melanoma macrophages, which are not found in birds and mammals, can be seen in the blood vessels. The hepatocytes in the Yemen chameleon are polyhedral or pyramid-shaped and usually contain several large, round cell nuclei in the periphery. The nuclei contain conspicuously dark nucleoli. Occasionally nuclei are central. Under haematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, the hepatocytes appear very eosinophilic. In the connective tissue, branches of the portal vein, hepatic artery, small bile ducts and lymphatic vessels could be visualised. Haematopoietic tissue was found in the area directly under the liver capsule.

In addition to the histological examination, several pieces of liver were also examined using transmission electron microscopy. Images of both examination methods can be found in the publication.

Histomorphological, histochemical and ultrastructural studies on the healthy liver of Yemen Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) in Southern Saudi Arabia
Amin A. Al-Doaiss, Mohammed A. Alshehri, Ali A. Shati, Mohammad Y. Alfaifi, Mohammed A. Al-Kahtani, Ahmed Ezzat Ahmed, Refaat A. Eid, Laila A. Al-Shuraym, Fahd A. Al-Mekhlafi, Mohammed Al Zahrani, Mohammed Mubarak
International Journal of Morphology 41(5), 2023: pp. 1513-1526.
DOI: none

Image: Histological section of the liver of a Yemen chameleon from the above-mentioned publication