PetNcs
Chameleon Enthusiast
Sure, and you miss published data about the evolution and about character displacement in chameleons. So, you theoretize with nit a full set of info a ailable.The way that I see it is that little in biology can be an exact science. Speaking in terms of human biology, we have been studying our own bodies and biology for eons, yet there is still so much that we don’t know, are learning and what was once thought to be true is proven false.
As chameleons have been studied for far less time and with much less interest, we have no idea what we don’t know yet. We have learned how to keep them alive and simulate to the best of our abilities and knowledge a suitable domestic habitat. However, we will always be learning more the longer that we keep them and the more interest there is in studying them.
Who can truly say with 100% certainty what the purpose of the casque is? We can theorize that it is a display for mating purposes, which has some merit. We can also theorize that it does hold fat and possibly even fluid stores to help sustain them through the dry season. Both theories make sense. Does it channel water to the mouth - maybe. That would be an additional benefit to the animal and may have influenced the evolution of the shape.
Do I have any proof to back any of these theories up? Nope. Just using my basic knowledge of misc stuff and putting it together in my brain in a way that makes sense to me.