Migration

[jr andrade]

During the average life span of a male chameleon(any kind/locale) how far do you think it will migrate? Now i know chameleons are not accustomed to changes but generally speaking humans arent friends with change either but we will move over a good amount of distances in our life time, now, im not saying chameleons will migrate over a great distance all at once but maybe they will relocate as we do or gradually meander around looking for females or food. Can anyone enlighten me and maybe some other forum members that have had this bouncing around their mind?

 

[Eltortu]

During the average life span of a male chameleon(any kind/locale) how far do you think it will migrate? Now i know chameleons are not accustomed to changes but generally speaking humans arent friends with change either but we will move over a good amount of distances in our life time, now, im not saying chameleons will migrate over a great distance all at once but maybe they will relocate as we do or gradually meander around looking for females or food. Can anyone enlighten me and maybe some other forum members that have had this bouncing around their mind?

This is a good question for Chris Anderson.

 

[jr andrade]

It would be nice if someone else could help..anyone? also i should change the name to commute not migrate the goal of the post is to hear some statistics on how far and how often they will move

 

[Eltortu]

It would be nice if someone else could help..anyone? also i should change the name to commute not migrate the goal of the post is to hear some statistics on how far and how often they will move

I don not think they venture too far from the place they were born...maybe 50-100 yards?...

 

[imcurt]

I'm guessing there A bit red neck. As long as theres food & girls around they stay put

 

[nicholas]

The only times that I am aware that a chameleon will move from its current "area" to another "area" is if its current location is lacking in something in one way or another. For example montane species seem to keep moving higher and higher in elevation each year to keep within their preferred temp. range. I am sure this is not true for all species of montane or otherwise, however it is the only type of "migration" or "commute" that I have personally researched and found to be the case.

 

[nicholas]

I'm guessing there A bit red neck. As long as theres food & girls around they stay put

As well as I am sure this also has a great impact on where they take up territory. there are quite a few male chams that are wonderers that commute to find females to breed with, and their are also a few female cham species that do this as well.

 

[Chris Anderson]

jr andrade - I suspect that movement patterns will vary considerably depending on species, sex, time of year, habitat stability, and various other factors. There was a study by Mariano Cuadrado (Cuadrado, M. (2001). Mate guarding and social mating system in male common chameleons (Chamaeleo chamaeleon). J. Zool., Lond. 255, 425-435.) that mapped the home ranges/territories of male Common Chameleons (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) and measured daily movement patterns. In this study, they found that territory size ranged from 40-719 square meters (average of 244) and that daily movement in males ranged from 33 ± 15 meters/day (Average ± Standard Error) for what they classified as "non-guarding males" to 85 ± 25 meters/day for what they classified as "social polygynous males".

nicholas - I'm not aware of any data that suggests individuals are actively moving to higher and higher elevations each year due to climate change. There is a trend for many plant and animal species at the population level that range distribution is increasing in elevation in response to climate change but individual and population level behavior are very different. At a population level, much of the shift in distribution is related to survival and reproductive success resulting in shifts in the distribution over an elevation gradient.

Chris

 

[jr andrade]

I read something very interesting lastnight and supports my idea that chameleons may move more then we really think...Chameleons will travel long distances and on the way will hunt for food etc.
But there is a contradicting factor because it states at night the chameleon will roost on a stick and sleep and will come back and often sleep on the exact same stick here is the site...im not sure exactly where i read it

http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/grze_07/grze_07_00444.html#Parsons_chameleon

 

[Chris Anderson]

jr andrade - Moving sizable distances in a given day does not preclude returning to the same spot to roost. The animals in the study I mentioned in my previous post moved a considerable amount each day but stayed within a home range or territory that, considering the distance they traveled each day, is relatively small.

Chris

 

[flyty808]

back in hawaii i would sit for hours and mark particular chams toenails with toenail polish and study there paths. i mean im not a scientist or anything but ive spent hours of my days watching from a far an have seen one cham travel over a mile befor i could not find him again. and i had one jackson who would alternate every 2 months from my house to my neighbors house 3 doors down to eat star fruit. i actually seen him eat it but 3 years later he died during a flood. my guess is it was during his migration. i hope this helps some.

 

[CammieBaby]

sounds like something i would do..... take pictures,,,