Research Information needed

[Rod]

I'm an author, I don't own a chameleon but have found researching them fascinating. Do different species of Chameleons show different color reactions? I read one turns black when stressed or angry and another shows bright colors. I also find one turning pink when ready to mate and another turns a bright blue.

Another question I have is: During mating, do females become aggressive or is it the males? Maybe aggressive isn't the term I should be using. Who initiates the mating ritual and how?

 

[Prism Chameleons]

I'm an author, I don't own a chameleon but have found researching them fascinating. Do different species of Chameleons show different color reactions? I read one turns black when stressed or angry and another shows bright colors. I also find one turning pink when ready to mate and another turns a bright blue.

Another question I have is: During mating, do females become aggressive or is it the males? Maybe aggressive isn't the term I should be using. Who initiates the mating ritual and how?

Hi Rod,

I can answer some of your questions in regard to panther chameleons (Furcifer pardalis); some other species may not have the same type of colorations as panthers, due to the high color variations that panther chameleons exhibit. Others on this forum that are familiar with other species of chameleons may have more information for you regarding their colorations, stress reactions, and mating reactions.

I have a bit of information about colorations in general on male and female panther chameleon colorations on my website on the "About Panther Chameleons" page. I am still working on adding to it, it isn't fully complete, but there is enough information that may answer some of your questions about this. Coloration is almost solely dependent upon health, mood, mental states, and temperature. What you have read is true about stress. Under very high stress a chameleon may turn black and their eye turrets might sink in a bit. On the other hand, males may also turn very vibrant colors under stress when in situations such as facing another male in their territory, as an example.

Mating rituals are almost solely dependent upon the female and whether or not she is in a breeding stage. When a female is ready to breed (breeding age may come anywhere from 6 months of age or higher) she will turn a light pink or light peach coloration. In addition, when faced with a male, she will retain the color of pink indicating that she is receptive to breeding. Once a male is introduced and the male is also receptive to breeding, the male will begin boasting his most beautiful colorations in order to impress the female and will start "bobbing" his head in jerky type of movements. Some males are slower in their approach to the female and have a more "gentle" touch when doing their "mating dance." On the other hand, I have had males that are very aggressive in their approach to the female and will approach her immediately for breeding. The male's introduction to the female may happen immediately, or may go on for hours before the mating session actually begins. By the way, the female may immediately lift her tail for the copulation to begin or she may play "hard to get" for a while and move away from the male in order for the male to continue to try to impress her enough for the session to actually begin.

The actual mating or copulating session may be very brief or may last 30 minutes or longer. In some cases, it may take a few sessions of mating before the female becomes gravid or she may become gravid immediately after the first copulation (all my females became gravid in the very first mating with the male). Once a female is gravid, she then displays quite different colorations indicating she is no longer available for mating with a male and is carrying eggs.

The colorations of a gravid female are either a dark black or dark brown with very bright pink or orange variations on their body. If a male approaches her in this state, she will become aggressive towards the male, open her mouth wide in a gaping position and sway her body back and forth to let the male know to stay away and is not receptive to breeding. It is really quite fascinating. If the male continues to try and approach her, she may even turn to bite the male to warn him off of her. I have some pictures of gravid females on my site should you wish to view their colorations in this state.

I hope this answers some of your questions, and if you need further information, please let me know! Good luck on your research.

 

[lele]

good source for you...

Besides all the great info that Jenna just gave you, you can find a slew of up to date articles on www.chameleonnews.com. Look thru past issues and you will be impressed with the info that is there. adcham.com and chameleonjournals.com are a couple more...just in case you have not found them yet