Devokid
Established Member
I have spent the last few months collecting and studying Jacksons on Oahu and have discovered something rather interesting. The Jacksons that live in the high altitudes (Mist Jacksons) seem to have different colors and different temperature requirements than those that live near sea level (Surf Jacksons).
The Surf Jacksons tend to be a more solid green when at rest and exactly like what you think of when you think about Jackson Chameleons. Their horns tend to be misshapen, a symptom that is corrected once they are fed gut loaded bugs in captivity, which leads me to believe that there is something lacking in their diet and not that they are "wilting" in the heat. They also are just fine in about 80 degrees F, and turn darker and sit under the heat when the temps drop to 65.
The Mist Jacksons, on the other hand, are more patterned at rest. Their horn are straight, but thin. This remains the same when fed in captivity, so the missing ingredient in horn production seems to be available up high. (One thing is that people leave cat food all over the ground to feed the feral cats, which is also consumed by the bugs. So there may be something in the cat food, but I kinda doubt it.) These Jacksons search out the cooler sections of the cage when the temps are around 80 and gape all the time. When they are in the 65 degree cage, they seem to be loving life.
These changes in the patterns and heat tolerance seem to indicate a slowly diverging population. I have only been able to study 20 surf jacksons and 10 mist jacksons so far, so I am curious to see if any of you have witnessed similar behavior in Hawaiian Jacksons or African Jacksons.
(1st pick surf i caught as a little guy. Note the change in horn development. 2-3 are mist)
The Surf Jacksons tend to be a more solid green when at rest and exactly like what you think of when you think about Jackson Chameleons. Their horns tend to be misshapen, a symptom that is corrected once they are fed gut loaded bugs in captivity, which leads me to believe that there is something lacking in their diet and not that they are "wilting" in the heat. They also are just fine in about 80 degrees F, and turn darker and sit under the heat when the temps drop to 65.
The Mist Jacksons, on the other hand, are more patterned at rest. Their horn are straight, but thin. This remains the same when fed in captivity, so the missing ingredient in horn production seems to be available up high. (One thing is that people leave cat food all over the ground to feed the feral cats, which is also consumed by the bugs. So there may be something in the cat food, but I kinda doubt it.) These Jacksons search out the cooler sections of the cage when the temps are around 80 and gape all the time. When they are in the 65 degree cage, they seem to be loving life.
These changes in the patterns and heat tolerance seem to indicate a slowly diverging population. I have only been able to study 20 surf jacksons and 10 mist jacksons so far, so I am curious to see if any of you have witnessed similar behavior in Hawaiian Jacksons or African Jacksons.
(1st pick surf i caught as a little guy. Note the change in horn development. 2-3 are mist)
