Heartbeats per minute

[Kate]

Out of interest does anyone know how many heartbeats a minute is average for a healthy panther chameleon?

 

[xephyr17]

I just Googled it and it didn't give me an answer... first time for everything

 

[Kate]

Popeyes chest was quite close to my ear and I'm sure I heard a regular thump. It was very slow but it could have beed my imagination. Just interested.

 

[zlew]

I would say it probably depends on the temperature of their bodies at any given time. Since they are cold blooded, their bodily functions (like the heart pumping) start to slow down as their body temperatures get colder, and vice versa.

 

[xephyr17]

I would say it probably depends on the temperature of their bodies at any given time. Since they are cold blooded, their bodily functions (like the heart pumping) start to slow down as their body temperatures get colder, and vice versa.

That would be for anything. Humans' heart rates slow and speed up depending on activity during the day, sleep, stress, anger, happiness, etc. The usual heart rate of a human adult is 60 - 100 beats per minute (BPM).

Somehow, miraculously, a hummingbird's heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 BPM.

So, the question here would be, what is the range of a chameleon's heart rate...

I can't find any information on the internet that answers this question, which is really surprising.

Anybody out there a scientist or vet that could tell us??

 

[mc9423]

I don't have access to the journal, but this paper seems like a good starting point:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109564330400323X

(Although do note that this discusses embryonic development, not adults.)

 

[ridgebax1]

Also note that the smaller the animal the faster the rate. A cockatiel's heart rate is something around 200. When rates get that high you really don't hear a beat, it is more like a vibration or buzzing kind of sound.

 

[kinyonga]

Not chameleons but maybe worth a read...
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0010406X70906092

Embryonic heart rate...
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0029027

Temperature changes...
http://jeb.biologists.org/content/204/24/4361.long

 

[Kate]

Not chameleons but maybe worth a read...
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0010406X70906092

Embryonic heart rate...
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0029027

Temperature changes...
http://jeb.biologists.org/content/204/24/4361.long

Thanks. Found the last article the best.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

It's much slower than mammals. 30 beats per minute would not be alarming to me. Here's an actual video of my cham's heart rate during surgery:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/george-had-surgery-88480/#post827808

And that was only slightly slower than regular as I was monitoring it before and after surgery too.

 

[Kate]

Thanks Dyana. I hoped you would answer. Popeye was on the back of the sofa climbing on my shoulder and I could hear a very slow rhythmic noise which I was sure it was his heart. He was right up against my ear. It was much slower than a human heart.

 

[ridgebax1]

Yes Dayna, thanks for the information! I would never have guessed their hearts beat so slowly; nor did I think about how many chambers their hearts would have.