Jackson's Chameleon

A Jackson's Chameleon spies a hover-fly.

 

This image was taken near the Kekaulike Highway in Maui, Hawaii. Though not native to Hawaii, these Chameleons run (perhaps a misnomer as they are extremely slow) rampant in this part of the island; presumably because they were accidentally released (as pets) but have grown in number as the climate is perfect for their habitat and reproduction. Finding these creatures is a huge delight as you can carefully pick them up and they will sit on your arm (as this one did for me).

 

Jackson's chameleons are sometimes called three-horned chameleons because males possess three brown horns (shown here): one on the nose (the rostral horn) and one above each superior orbital ridge above the eyes (preocular horns), somewhat reminiscent of the ceratopsid dinosaur genus Triceratops. The coloring is usually bright green, with some individual animals having traces of blue and yellow, but like all chameleons, they change color quickly depending on mood, health, and temperature.

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