How far can chameleons jump?
- Thread starter joshbert
- Start date
kuskye25
New Member
i agree only time mine has mildly jumped in 9 months is to get away from me... usually it isnt a jump as much as its a fall, i have a veiled though.
Lizardlover
New Member
theres a video on youtube of a jacksons jumpings, ive never witnessed mine jump, just when my veiled was a baby.
summoner12
Avid Member
Isn't that a means of transportation?
But no, they do not jump large horizontal lengths or gain any vertical height when "jumping" it should be called 'face jumping'! In my experience they (like boca said) use it as a means to get away from danger. If your cham sees a giant hand coming into the cage and is freaked, he'll do a back flip or just roll off the perch and fall to the ground. My boy Fred did this the first few times I picked him up after I got him. He was a Petsmart 'rescue'. He would fall, and then for some reason RUN up the side of the cage
. When i was holding him at the store before buying he chad climbed out onto my and no problem. When my GF put her hand out he just fell to the ground in panic. Luckily we were kneeling on the ground and he landed on my thigh first before rolling onto the floor.
Lizardlover
New Member
you guys should look at the youtube video though, its very interesting. lemme see if i get the link here
Lizardlover
New Member
summoner12
Avid Member
HHAHA that is great! The Jackson was spreading its legs for a belly flop! That is pretty neat!
Lizardlover
New Member
I know! i just saw it the other day, that DID seem like he was using it as transportation, just not from tree to tree but to get to the ground
summoner12
Avid Member
Transportation:
- the act of transporting.
- the state of being transported.
But... I am sure it isn't the ideal mode of transit for most chams.... although the jackson in the video seemed to enjoy it.... (yes i am aware that the camera man was probably putting the little guy back into the tree.....
)
Lizardlover
New Member
oh i know, im just saying that particular Jacksons
desultadox
Established Member
Bizarre. I have never seen anything like that, and I free range mine. If I hadn't seen that video I would've called you all crazy for thinking it was even possible!
hallenhe
Avid Member
Maybe Jackson's are just jumpy - My Jackson's was wandering about the living room one day - climbed up a plant pot, climbed down the plant pot (slowly and with some difficulty; it was a fairly tall pot and he tumbled the last inch or two), climbed up the plant pot again... Once he got back up there, he clearly remembered 1) that he'd been there before and it wasn't all that exciting, and 2) that getting down wasn't as easy as it looked. He was sitting perched with all four feet together on the edge of the pot, I heard the scrabble of lizard claws on plastic, and he was upright about four inches from the plant pot. He clearly jumped, but I missed the actual moment.
That's the closest I've ever come to a jumping chameleon. The same lizard was observed to run once (and only once). He had come out to the porch and I was behind him. I leaned forward to set down my tea, he caught me out of the corner of his eye, where he wasn't expecting movement, and took off. It was the funniest thing to watch, because he ran just like any lizard - legs flailing off to the sides and tail sticking straight out behind. He went about six or seven feet.
- My Jackson's was wandering about the living room one day - climbed up a plant pot, climbed down the plant pot (slowly and with some difficulty; it was a fairly tall pot and he tumbled the last inch or two), climbed up the plant pot again... Once he got back up there, he clearly remembered 1) that he'd been there before and it wasn't all that exciting, and 2) that getting down wasn't as easy as it looked. He was sitting perched with all four feet together on the edge of the pot, I heard the scrabble of lizard claws on plastic, and he was upright about four inches from the plant pot. He clearly jumped, but I missed the actual moment.That's the closest I've ever come to a jumping chameleon. The same lizard was observed to run once (and only once). He had come out to the porch and I was behind him. I leaned forward to set down my tea, he caught me out of the corner of his eye, where he wasn't expecting movement, and took off. It was the funniest thing to watch, because he ran just like any lizard - legs flailing off to the sides and tail sticking straight out behind. He went about six or seven feet.
Lizardlover
New Member
Jacksons seem to have weird behavior like that, the jacksons in that video also eats centipedes! theres a vid of it
summoner12
Avid Member
From my understanding that is bad......
