How far can Chameleons see?

[ksau]

I always wonder when i'm accross the room if he can see me. haha
Does anyone know their sight distance?

 

[jannb]

I know they can see for a LONG way. My guy doesn't miss a thing even from way across the yard. Jann

 

[kenya]

A cham's best sense is their eyesight. I think they can see you but they don't feel threatened most of the time. They know their boundaries and feel safe from far away. They will also become accustomed to their keepers.

 

[SoCaliSon]

One of the things I learned from the Chameleons of Madagascar DVD that I never knew... Is that they say Chameleons actually have "Telescopic Vision" that allows them to zoom in and view distant objects close up. Pretty Crazy. I know one thing... I used to have my cages in a room where for a short time the males and females were on opposite walls... And I would find my males displaying for the females from across the room. I figured a cham hiding in the plants accross the room would not draw their interest...but I was wrong, Do not underestimate their eyesight.

 

[RachelRiot]

One of the things I learned from the Chameleons of Madagascar DVD that I never knew... Is that they say Chameleons actually have "Telescopic Vision" that allows them to zoom in and view distant objects close up. Pretty Crazy. I know one thing... I used to have my cages in a room where for a short time the males and females were on opposite walls... And I would find my males displaying for the females from across the room. I figured a cham hiding in the plants accross the room would not draw their interest...but I was wrong, Do not underestimate their eyesight.

Wow, telescopic vision. That is really cool!

 

[ksau]

What about night time? Can they see well in the dark?

 

[kenya]

What about night time? Can they see well in the dark?

If it is dark, they should be asleep.

I would venture a "no". My male Jacksons will want to shoot his tongue at me if I move around outside his cage when it is very dim in the room. He sees the movement but doesn't see it is me and not a bug.

 

[wheresstimpy]

What about night time? Can they see well in the dark?

usually as soon as the lights are out mine are asleep, they can be crawling around upside down and if i turn the lights off they stop where they are and knock out, lol

 

[ksau]

Mine definitely doesn't go to sleep that quickly. What I was refering to, however, was if his lights are on in his cage, and I have the lights in the room off can he see me.

 

[ksau]

There are also times I get up, now that it's winter, and he's up before his lights are on and it's still dark outside, thus dark in the room.

 

[kenya]

Mine definitely doesn't go to sleep that quickly. What I was refering to, however, was if his lights are on in his cage, and I have the lights in the room off can he see me.

I would think no if you are far away and not getting any of the light spilling out from his cage because it is hard to see out of the light surrounding you and it blinds to a certain extent when you are in it. An example is if you are on stage if high light and you can't really see the crowd well because they are in the dark.

 

[ksau]

I would think no if you are far away and not getting any of the light spilling out from his cage because it is hard to see out of the light surrounding you and it blinds to a certain extent when you are in it. An example is if you are on stage if high light and you can't really see the crowd well because they are in the dark.

That's what I assumed... cause usually if he knows i'm watching him he's pretty content to sit in one place, but when the lights are off and his lights are one he explores the whole cage. It's neat to watch.

 

[kinyonga]

"unlike other vertebrate eyes, the crystalline lens of the chameleon has negative refractive power"...
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=3410942

"they contain lenses that cause light to diverge rather than focus it"...
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_n6_v16/ai_16951742

"This optical configuration provides for a larger retinal image size on a comparative basis (Ott M et al Nature 1995;373:692-4). In effect, chameleons have produced a mini telephoto lens system"...
http://bjo.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/85/11/1276

 

[hallenhe]

I've read somewhere that their vision is comparable to a 150 telephoto lens (don't remember the reference; sorry!). A reference I do remember is "Lizards: Windows to the evolution of diversity" by Pianka and Vitt (great book), which says that chameleons' eyes, while chock-full of cones (the things that allow color vision) are completely devoid of rods (the things that allow low light and night vision) - hence, chams can see little or anything in the dark (we have both rods and cones, but more cones; cats have both, but not as many cones (less color range) and quite a lot more rods (good night vision). The Pianka and Vitt book also states that the chameleon eyes alternate sending signals when the eyes are rotating independently (the brain gets the signal from the left eye, then the right, then the left) but both transmit simultaneously (in stereo) when the animal locks on to a bug; and that chameleons have the best focusing and visual adjustment ability measured in vertebrates. They mention this being tested with a Jackson's, whose horns are perfectly positioned for actually perching eyeglasses with different types of lenses! (I'd love to see a picture.)

 

[JoshCrane1]

chams can see far!!! my male could spot my female and puff up from across a 40ft pool.

 

[addicted]

Great info Socalison and Hallenhe, very informative.
The lack of rods must be why they go to sleep so quickly at night, I guess if you can't see anything, you may as well take a nap and wait 'til morning!
It's like his desire to sleep is directly attached to my light switch

 

[hallenhe]

It's like his desire to sleep is directly attached to my light switch

What always gets me is that Thaxter (and his predecessor, Saccardo)'s desire to sleep is NOT directly attached to my light switch - it's attached to the sun, despite the few windows in our living room, and the fact that the indoor lights are much more obvious. It's kind of alarming the first time you see them settling down for bed at 3:30 in the afternoon in December and January.

 

[addicted]

It's kind of alarming the first time you see them settling down for bed at 3:30 in the afternoon in December and January.

That is early! My Cham goes to his 'sleep perch' (it's funny, when he was really little, he'd sleep in a different spot every night, now he only sleeps on one of 2 branches, which are right beside each other) earlier in the day too now, around 7 pm. The sun does disappear behind the trees pretty early here, I guess it would be much the same in SW Ontario as Mid-Michigan.

 

[ConcertPhotog]

Yeah, my cham's bed time is about 7pm too, despite my best efforts to delay it.

 

[hallenhe]

Yeah, I don't know why, but two chams, over 5 winters and counting, like to settle down in winter at 3:30ish. Neither has gone to sleep at 3:30; they've both just headed for their chosen perch, gotten comfortable, coiled up their tails, and glared at us when we come home from work. Maybe Michigan really IS the gloomiest place in the world in Winter?