Vibrating.

[ChameleonNerd]

As i'm sure many of you have noticed while handling your chameleon, if you make a wrong move, hold it wrong, or anything to scare your chameleon, they will sometimes vibrate. Does anybody know why? Predators can't feel this from a distance. Anybody know?

 

[drcrossfire]

i actually dont know what you mean.... care to elaborate?

 

[ChameleonNerd]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCmqM3YP1-4
this is an example. At 3:20, before the meller's joust, they bob their heads rapidly, like they are having a seizure. if you were to touch a chameleon while it is doing that, it vibrates.

 

[drcrossfire]

weird.. but cool. no idea though. sorry

 

[ChameleonNerd]

oh well. thanks anyway

 

[kinyonga]

What is shown in the video is head bobbing...but some species of chameleons also vibrate when touched and make sounds that we can't really hear. Veileds do this. Brookesia thieli also vibrate.
Here's the information....
http://web.archive.org/web/20080418003008/http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/5014/hoot.html

Then some play dead so affectively that people have actually disposed of the bodies in the garbage only to find that the chameleon got up and walked away after. Pygmies do this. Thieli is excellent at this too.
There's a list here....
http://web.archive.org/web/20051119....com/html/taxonomy/species/chcalyptratus.html

This has some interesting information...
http://www.wonderquest.com/lizard-noise.htm

 

[Melina]

During handling some chameleons can tremble or give out a low frequencing buzzing that sounds a like a bee - i've observed this in veileds before but it can also happen in leaf chameleons and in the Kenyan pygmy chameleons.

 

[ChameleonNerd]

very intriguing. thank you for the information[:

 

[mphelps]

R. brevicaudatus are also among the vibrating chameleons.

 

[DavidBuchan]

It's clearly a warning, like hissing, lunging or biting...... Seems to be that Chameleon communicate mainly to say f' me or f' off........

 

[Aliciax3]

My brevs do this sometimes when they get freaked out by me cleaning their tank. I always thought they do it in order to look like leaves swaying on a branch, or at least thats what they look like to me lol

 

[kinyonga]

I think we're actually talking about 3 different things here...the head bobbing (mating/warning ritual), the leaf imitation and then the body vibrating that you can not see but only feel when you touch the chameleon (that might be "accompanying" the infrasonic sounds some of them make).

 

[patrickfraser]

I felt my female vibrate today. I had her outside in the beautiful California weather and I felt the vibration I looked and saw that a fly had landed on her. The another sequence of buzzes until the fly flew off. In my case it means, "GET THE OFF ME!" It was almost like electricity. I might just name her Elektra, now. I still haven't figured on a name that sticks.

 

[summoner12]

I've really only experienced this with my veilds and it was with males showing dominate coloring and usually while flaring their casque lobes. I have also seen this with my melleri.....

The point is to send a tremor down the branch to the approaching animal saying 'hey, im not happy, back off!' but I am sure it can be for mating too... maybe, the harder the shake the more attraction he can generate for the female?

There was a neat recording of the sound online somewhere, I forget where.

 

[ChameleonNerd]

well this is an old post.
and you are right.
over time i have came to the conclusion that the vibration comes from head bobbing during mating, before mating, and as a defense mechanism to warn off predators

 

[Chellerd]

Vibrating Chameleons

I have recently become the proud owner of a veiled chameleon. She likes to sleep in my hand. I have felt some short vibrations and once a a long vibration come from her. It kind of freaked me out the first time she did it. It seems she generally does this when she is content.

 

[Cainschams]

I have seen this in K. matschiei when disturbed, Tr. cristatus right before they shoot their tongues and have heard that Tr. deremensis also do a vibration. Its pretty neat!

 

[Psychobunny]

Smeagol does this when I rub his chin.
He closes his eyes and 'purrs' like a cat.
It seems associated with pleasure, but ppl have also said they purr when
angry or upset.

 

[JimO]

My Brevis do this if I pick them up to examine them, but not if they are perched on my hand. It's probably a defense mechanism to startle a predator that grabs them in the hopes the predator will drop them.

 

[natureboy86]

That's weird. The only time I've seen Koop vibrate is when a cricket was crawling on him. It was funny as hell He looked so pissed