Can Chameleons Hear?

[Matthew G]

Hello, I was just wondering if chams could hear. My cham shows no signs that it does.

 

[TSIshinobi]

Nope they're deaf, But they do feel vibrations. They can "hear" in the sense that the vibrations are felt in their inner ears.


Some people believe that their inner ears are so sensitive they can feel a heart beat in a completely silent room!

 

[Chris Anderson]

Nope they're deaf, But they do feel vibrations. They can "hear" in the sense that the vibrations are felt in their inner ears.


Some people believe that their inner ears are so sensitive they can feel a heart beat in a completely silent room!

Interesting, where did you hear that?

The reality is that chameleons do not have external ear openings, a typical round window or a standard tympanic membrane, however they do have a functional inner ear, a functional equivalent to the round window and some species have modifications to the pterygoid plate that functions as a tympanic membrane. As a result, their hearing is limited, however they are able to hear both aerial sounds and mechanical vibrations. Species that lack the modified pterygoid plate that functions as a tympanic membrane have poorer sensitivity to aerial sound, however.

Chris

 

[Cami2013]

Interesting, where did you hear that?

The reality is that chameleons do not have external ear openings, a typical round window or a standard tympanic membrane, however they do have a functional inner ear, a functional equivalent to the round window and some species have modifications to the pterygoid plate that functions as a tympanic membrane. As a result, their hearing is limited, however they are able to hear both aerial sounds and mechanical vibrations. Species that lack the modified pterygoid plate that functions as a tympanic membrane have poorer sensitivity to aerial sound, however.

Chris

Nicely said!