is it.. scales, skin, or scaly skin ?

[little leaf]

we are having a "debate" here at the house- do chameleons have true "scales" - or would you say they have " skin with scales " ? to me - a fish has "scales" or a snake- but chams are soft feeling, and you can rub both ways and it feels the same- so what do they have ???

 

[SaintJimmy]

Scales kind of overlap each other (like snake scales or beardie scales) and cham 'scales' are kind of bumpy and round and more like a leather bag feel.

I guess skin with scales. I don't know

 

[little leaf]

Scales kind of overlap each other (like snake scales or beardie scales) and cham 'scales' are kind of bumpy and round and more like a leather bag feel.

I guess skin with scales. I don't know

haaa haaaa - well, you are no help ( but I can put you down as a "skin" vote- )

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Well technically they all have both. There is skin between the scales, but depending on how much overlap of the scales you may or may not see it. Chams don't have very big overlapping scales like snakes or the legs of tortoises so you can see a lot more of it. So skin with scales is accurate. At least mostly, since the scales are technically just a specialized form of skin.

 

[little leaf]

Well technically they all have both. There is skin between the scales, but depending on how much overlap of the scales you may or may not see it. Chams don't have very big overlapping scales like snakes or the legs of tortoises so you can see a lot more of it. So skin with scales is accurate. At least mostly, since the scales are technically just a specialized form of skin.

HA !!!!! SKIN ! SKIN !!! I win
he can not argue with the best cham vet on earth !!!
Thanks ferret !!

 

[SaintJimmy]

Yes so we have 3 votes for skin

 

[ChamMan7]

Depending on the species, chameleons can exhibit either homegenous or heterogenous "squamation." This is an evolutionary trait where the scales have become bumpier rather than what youd think of as actual scales, and in most cases it is indeed much more similar to skin... ex. panthers or veileds. A lot of the triceros genus exhibit heterogeneous squamation, which means that the chameleon has scales of different color, size or pattern. This is also common in a lot of species in the Bradypodion genus. Homogenous squamation refers to a common pattern, or predictable pattern throughout the body, without any bumps or knobs, with the same kind skin or scale pattern.

Most species that show the heterogeneous squamation pattern are the ones that have the closest evolutionary connection to actual scales. But the majority of chameleon species are mostly skin!