Jay-Dee saw two reptiles on the same morning drive yesterday, and just gave me the photos.
One is a flap-necked chameleon, and one is a crocodile.
Crocs and chameleons are both reptiles, and yet they are obviously very different from each other. But they do share some surprising characteristics! They both eat meat, they both don’t like moving much, they both rely on disguise and both attack their prey in a very explosive manner.
The chameleon was spotted in an interesting (and rare to observe moment): it was shedding its skin! See on the photo below. How cool is that? We find chameleons quite regularly on our reserve, so when you stay at the lodge you will most likely enjoy the opportunity to hold a chameleon on your hand. It’s a very special experience, and very interesting.
Chameleons are a very special kind of lizard, and over the millions of years have evolved into 160 separate sub-species. You can find chameleons in the thick bush, like on our reserve, to the African deserts, as well as in jungles. They exist in all kinds of colors: green, red, yellow, blue, orange, pink, … what they all share are their peculiar feet, as well as their trademark eyes, which they can move independently from each other. Their eyesight is extremely good, and they all catch small insects with their long tongue. They can also change their colors. They usually turn darker when angered. The chameleons on our reserve do that too!
Below the photo Jay-dee took of the crocodile he spotted. As always he was busy lazing around in the sun, doing nothing at all. But be careful, they are very dangerous, and they can move fast. In general however they prefer to sleep in the sun, and catch an unsuspecting prey now and then. Their slow metabolism means they can go up to a year without any food at all.
