Even more entertaining and sometimes downright odd-looking are the chameleons. They have several charming features.
Camouflage is the name of the game. Many if not most of the chameleons have a palette to choose from so their skin colour can change to suit the background or the branch they are sitting on.
When not in use, it is practical to curl your tail neatly under you like a violin scroll.
Some of the species have heads and noses with spikes, horns or frills that make them look like miniature dinosaurs.
The photo directly above does not show mating but walking all over someone who is not moving out of the way.
Eyes that pivot in every which direction independently of each other enable the chameleon to have a 360º view. Very practical for the chameleon but quite disconcerting for me!
Their tong-like feet and toes make it possible to grasp and walk along thin branches.
As you can see in the video, chameleons think twice (or three or four times…) before taking the next step. Don’t forget to turn on the sound to hear the following two videos.
If you hang around chameleons long enough, you may be lucky to see their long, fast and sticky tongues in action. They are perfect for catching unsuspecting flies.
Other reptilian species of notes are the geckos. The day geckos are colourful and zip about.
The aptly-named leaf-tailed geckos sit totally still and are so incredibly well camouflaged as leaves that they can be hard to spot.
Some are rather ghostly in their appearance.
