I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Raul Diaz on the latest episode of the Chameleon Breeder Podcast. Dr. Diaz performed a study where he documented the growth of the Veiled Chameleon embryo from egg laying until hatching. He took some wonderful pictures of the different stages.
Dr. Diaz noticed that Veiled Chameleons do very little for the first two months. By this picture at 68 days after laying, we have basic germ layers being forms. The ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm will go on to form all the organs and parts of the body, but at this point there really is not much to look at!
By 88 days we are seeing features we can finally recognize as a chameleon. Dr. Diaz noted that it was curious that it took this long for the Veiled Chameleon to get to this point. Dr. Diaz relates that most lizards and snakes are around this point when their eggs are laid.
At 117 days we can see the chameleon specific hands and feet forming. This modern day dragon is getting ready to join us in the outside world!
If you are interested in listening in on Dr. Diaz taking us through each of the steps of development, check out the podcast. We also touch on diapause and temperature dependent sex determination. You can find it on your podcast app or else click here to listen online:
Ep 106: Chameleon Embryonic Development
Dr. Diaz noticed that Veiled Chameleons do very little for the first two months. By this picture at 68 days after laying, we have basic germ layers being forms. The ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm will go on to form all the organs and parts of the body, but at this point there really is not much to look at!
By 88 days we are seeing features we can finally recognize as a chameleon. Dr. Diaz noted that it was curious that it took this long for the Veiled Chameleon to get to this point. Dr. Diaz relates that most lizards and snakes are around this point when their eggs are laid.
At 117 days we can see the chameleon specific hands and feet forming. This modern day dragon is getting ready to join us in the outside world!
If you are interested in listening in on Dr. Diaz taking us through each of the steps of development, check out the podcast. We also touch on diapause and temperature dependent sex determination. You can find it on your podcast app or else click here to listen online:
Ep 106: Chameleon Embryonic Development
thank you for sharing.
