Baby Chameleon Sitting Comfortably After Lucky Start to Life

Faline · #1 ● 12-02-2012, 12:00 PM

The tiny lizard and its twin hatched following the recent seizure of an illegal shipment of reptiles by customs officials in Belgium.
Both unborn brothers, who are just over an inch in length, were on their way to the Czech Republic as part of a consignment of 59 chameleons before the Specialist Wildlife Services intervened.
The chameleons, which are native to the western branch of Tanzania's African Rift Valley, were rescued and placed in different zoos across the UK.
'They are probably the first of this species ever born in captivity within UK zoos,' said Danny Reynolds of Exmoor Zoo in Devon.
Chameleons have two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward, making it easy for them to cling to branches, or alternatively, toothpicks.
Zoo employee John Hammond, who snapped the chameleons, added: 'The problem with them being so young is that we can't have them out of their enclosures for long because the temperature change isn't good for them.'
The babies are fed fruit flies and day-old crickets as part of their dietary requirements.