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Tip-toeing across the road

On an overcast day, in the Ngala Game Reserve, part of the greater Kruger National Park, this beautiful green chameleon was crossing the gravel road in a lurching fashion placing each leg and foot gently on the surface using its two-toed feet. His tail is spiralled closed and rotating eyes are constantly checking backwards and forwards for danger.

Chameleon - Trioceros melleri

A chameleon's sticky, two-foot-long tongue snaps out at 13 miles an hour, wrapping around an insect and whipping the yummy snack back into the reptile's mouth. Now that's fast food dining! And the chameleons swift eating style is just one if its many features that'll leave you tongue-tied.

Chameleons mostly live in the rain forests and deserts of Africa. The colour of their skin helps them blend in with their habitats. Chameleons that hang out in trees are usually green. Those that live in deserts are most often brown. They often change colour to warm up or cool down. Turning darker helps warm the animals because the dark colours absorb more heat. They also switch shades to communicate with other chameleons, using bright colours to attract potential mates or warn enemies. The outer layer of their skin is see-through. Beneath that are layers of special cells filled with pigment - the substance that gives plants and animals, including you, colour. To display a new colour, the brain sends a message for these cells to get bigger or smaller. As this happens, pigments from different cells are released, and they mix with each other to create new skin tones. For instance, red and blue pigment may mix to make the chameleon look purple.

All chameleons have a prize pair of eyes. Their peepers can move in two different directions at once, giving the animal a panoramic view of their surroundings.

Nikon Z6iii with Nikon 105mm macro lens, 1/640 sec @ f14, ISO 1400.

Photograph by Andrew Woodburn