So, another Chameleon found in the garden in Swaziland.
This time, it is a flapneck (Chamaeleo dilepis according to the local wildlife guidebook. However I saw one expert online- may have been Chris Anderson on this forum- disputing whether this is really dilepis).
I think it is a female, and I think she is gravid.
The Bradypodion transvaalense last week was found in a suburban garden in Mbabane. This one was found in my vegetable garden. I live in a valley beyond the urban boundary, about 20 minutes away from town. A river borders this large property on the lower slope, and there are many trees and a wide variety of flora and wild fauna (+++species of birds; snakes, small rodents, mongooses, variety of lizards including monitors). So there is a lot of wildlife, and, according to one conservationist, this valley is one of the spots in the country where Chameleons are often seen.
This flapneck was found by the head groundsman, Patrick. Now this is rather serendipidious. Just yesterday afternoon, so not even 24 hours ago, I asked Patrick if he had ever seen a Chameleon here. He has been working on the property for 7 years, and no, he said in all that time he had never seen one. But he agreed with me that there must be plenty around.
I asked Patrick to please call me if he or any of the groundsmen and women see a Chameleon. He shuddered and pulled a face. He said he was terrified of them. Chameleons and toads... he says, he calls Vusi to come remove the toads. (He is a 6ft, sturdy guy). He shuddered again. Snakes- Mozambican Spitting Cobras, Boomslangs, Mambas, Rinkhals, Puff Adders- all deadly- are no problem. But toads... no, those require back-up he says.
There is a staunch cultural bias against the poor Chameleon around here. I haven't been able to get a straight answer why this is. The most I can gather is that Chameleons are associated with evil spirits. Patrick agreed to call me if he saw one; I have also begged him to not kill them.
So earlier I was pottering around the vege garden (had the day off from work), when Patrick arrived with his petrol-operated, montrously loud, weed-eater. He proceeded to trim the edges of the beds and mow down where the vegetation had grown too thick.
The flapneck was on the ground in one of the vegetable beds that had become grassed over in the last month or two. I think she was investigating a place to lay her eggs. The nearest trees are all several meters away.
Patrick shouted "There's a Chameleon!" and I came rushing over. I picked her up and went down to the house. I placed two small coffee trees and a couple of other smalled indoor plants on top of a table. She is now sitting in a coffee tree, above my head height.
When the afternoon cools down and the mowing stops for the day, I am going to return her to where I found her. I'm not sure which tree she likes to hang out in generally. The closest tree to where I found her are banana trees (which don't seem appropriate..??); also, there is a guava tree. I'm not sure if maybe I should find a more appropriate spot for her, nearby of course (within 50-100m of where I found her). There are a lot of kingfishers cruising the vege garden, and the trees around there are not so thick. Does anyone know the 'range' of these Chameleons?
I snapped a few pics for you to see. I would like to know,
1) Is this a female?
2) Does she look gravid to you?
3) What is the range of these Chameleons?
4) Should I return her to a nearby tree or place her exactly where I found her?
She showed me yellows and greens and a bit of white in her markings. Beautiful lime green too.
This time, it is a flapneck (Chamaeleo dilepis according to the local wildlife guidebook. However I saw one expert online- may have been Chris Anderson on this forum- disputing whether this is really dilepis).
I think it is a female, and I think she is gravid.
The Bradypodion transvaalense last week was found in a suburban garden in Mbabane. This one was found in my vegetable garden. I live in a valley beyond the urban boundary, about 20 minutes away from town. A river borders this large property on the lower slope, and there are many trees and a wide variety of flora and wild fauna (+++species of birds; snakes, small rodents, mongooses, variety of lizards including monitors). So there is a lot of wildlife, and, according to one conservationist, this valley is one of the spots in the country where Chameleons are often seen.
This flapneck was found by the head groundsman, Patrick. Now this is rather serendipidious. Just yesterday afternoon, so not even 24 hours ago, I asked Patrick if he had ever seen a Chameleon here. He has been working on the property for 7 years, and no, he said in all that time he had never seen one. But he agreed with me that there must be plenty around.
I asked Patrick to please call me if he or any of the groundsmen and women see a Chameleon. He shuddered and pulled a face. He said he was terrified of them. Chameleons and toads... he says, he calls Vusi to come remove the toads. (He is a 6ft, sturdy guy). He shuddered again. Snakes- Mozambican Spitting Cobras, Boomslangs, Mambas, Rinkhals, Puff Adders- all deadly- are no problem. But toads... no, those require back-up he says.
There is a staunch cultural bias against the poor Chameleon around here. I haven't been able to get a straight answer why this is. The most I can gather is that Chameleons are associated with evil spirits. Patrick agreed to call me if he saw one; I have also begged him to not kill them.
So earlier I was pottering around the vege garden (had the day off from work), when Patrick arrived with his petrol-operated, montrously loud, weed-eater. He proceeded to trim the edges of the beds and mow down where the vegetation had grown too thick.
The flapneck was on the ground in one of the vegetable beds that had become grassed over in the last month or two. I think she was investigating a place to lay her eggs. The nearest trees are all several meters away.
Patrick shouted "There's a Chameleon!" and I came rushing over. I picked her up and went down to the house. I placed two small coffee trees and a couple of other smalled indoor plants on top of a table. She is now sitting in a coffee tree, above my head height.
When the afternoon cools down and the mowing stops for the day, I am going to return her to where I found her. I'm not sure which tree she likes to hang out in generally. The closest tree to where I found her are banana trees (which don't seem appropriate..??); also, there is a guava tree. I'm not sure if maybe I should find a more appropriate spot for her, nearby of course (within 50-100m of where I found her). There are a lot of kingfishers cruising the vege garden, and the trees around there are not so thick. Does anyone know the 'range' of these Chameleons?
I snapped a few pics for you to see. I would like to know,
1) Is this a female?
2) Does she look gravid to you?
3) What is the range of these Chameleons?
4) Should I return her to a nearby tree or place her exactly where I found her?
She showed me yellows and greens and a bit of white in her markings. Beautiful lime green too.
