Questions from a Writer: Chameleon Healing

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fiyaerrigan

New Member
Hi! I'm Fiya, I'm new here, I don't own a chameleon but I find them super neat animals and wanted to incorporate aspects of their physiology into a thing I'm writing with very fictional characters that (according to an image search) bear similarities to the chameleon hybrid from Sweet Tooth.

My question(s) is/are (and my apologies in advance for it being rather gruesome, but this is for a fictional scenario) as follows:

If the head crest or casque (still uncertain of the terminology) of a chameleon were to break off/be weathered down to the bone, how would it heal, if it did heal to begin with?

Do injuries on scales scab over and leave scars, or do they heal pretty unnoticeable?

Can a chameleon lead an okay life if their casque is gone and it manages to heal?

How do injuries that go to the skeletal layer heal for reptiles?
 
BostonKeith said:
It would heal the same way as if you cut your own leg off.. 😂
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So, like, with scales and stuff, not 100 percent scar tissue? Or do you mean to imply that in removing a casque you do the same amount of damage as cutting off a leg and not giving it medical attention?
 
If the whole casque was chopped off, I'm pretty sure the cham would just die. They aren't just for show, so I suspect it'd be very much like losing the top of your own head. Now, if it was a nasty injury to say, the topmost portion, that's survivable. Reptiles in general do pretty well at losing toes, the tip of their tail, etc.
If infection didn't set in, and crucial bodily function wasn't lost, it would heal over time and be sort of gnarly and scarred-like, looking less fresh with each shed.
Chams can also get bruised and injured, and it almost certainly will scar. Usually they look better after each shed, but there will be a visible representation of it. Usually it's a bump/line/oddly textured area, and the colors can be different too, much like a person. For reptiles, things are more likely to just... fall off and then over-heal with skin. I imagine it would be similar with a down-to-the-bone injury.... IF it heals and doesn't have infection.

Check this out for images of injuries/illnesses in chams specifically: https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-medical-basics/
 
Injuries to a chameleon are not good. Most can lead to infection which in turn if not treated kills off a chameleon. We see a lot of casque injuries with Veiled Chameleons. Their casques sit quite a distance away from the rest of their bodies. Thermal burns to the casque are typically the concern. A really bad thermal burn will not only cause damage but they can loose a large chunk if not treated correctly. Meaning infection takes over and kills off the tissue and area affected. Once at this point the chance of the cham surviving reduces greatly because of the infection in the body.
Can they heal, yes. Will the area ever shed normally, no. Do they scar, yes. Is it noticeable, absolutely when you actually know chams you know what is not normal and what is normal.

But the casque does not just break off. It is very much a part of their bodies as your limbs are part of yours. You can take a look at this site to understand the skeletal structure. https://www.madcham.de/en/anatomie/

A severe injury would almost be guaranteed to kill a chameleon. They are very fragile animals that hide illness quite well.

Now if you are talking about an injury that would bleed a lot then the cham will not survive it most often than not.

What you are talking about we as keepers cringe at. I have seen some pretty horrible things in this forum. From accidents, neglect, to straight up stupidity causing major injuries. So I do not know if a chameleon is a good character for your book.
 
Sorry, I had to sign off for a bit...
Continuing...
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-medical-nose-skin-rub/


Because of the structure of the casque contains abductor muscles, severe injury might prevent eating functions....
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/casque-anatomy.92124/
"The structure of the casque is made up of bone. The center ridge is the parietal bone, the rear sides are the squamosal bones, and the base toward the eyes are the postorbitofrontal bones. The space between the bones is filled primarily with jaw adductor muscles (the muscles responsible for closing the mouth and bite force). The enlarged casque serves a sexual selection and specific recognition function, but also serves to increase the force they are able to bite with."

Tail amputation/healed...
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-medical-tail-damage/
 
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The casque is pretty much their skull. So if it were to break, it's probably game over. They can heal small injuries--kind of like if you were to get hit with a baseball on the head. You might get a permanent dent in your skull but you would be okay.

But yeah, chameleons aren't known for their healing abilities. Their tail is prehensile, so they don't drop it nor grow it back. If a cham were to lose a tail, it would die.

With that said, the character is fictional, so it's your world to build. I wouldn't blink twice if your hybrid chameleon person had super healing abilities. The mixing of genes could theoretically cause super-healing expressions.

Traits your cham hybrid might have:
  • Superhuman grip strength (from gripping tree branches all the time. Maybe your character even sleeps in the trees instead of a traditional bed).
  • Great eyesight (eyes always on a swivel so no one could sneak up on you)
  • Good camouflage (while not really true for chameleons, assuming this hybrid had human intellect, they could mentally relax or stress their chromatophores with monk-like training somewhere far away to gain excellent control of their color-changing abilities to blend in better to different environments). Sneaking around at night, they could change into a darker color. Idk, no need to overcomplicate it.
  • A strong-ass tongue. Cham tongues are really strong. We often see them strain their tongue when eating hornworms (blue caterpillars) that have incredible grip strength. You even see some chams shoot the worm and then run/swing over to it to bite it when the caterpillar doesn't let go. This is obviously not good for the cham. But since it's fictional, you might consider that as a functional power.
  • I kind of thought about this in the traditional superhero sense, so apologies if that isn't the case.
 
Oh and depending on the species, your character could have horns or be in the process of developing horns (jackson's chameleon or johnston's chameleon). Or your character could be more like Trioceros cristatus with a sailfin that could be used in some beneficial way--e.g your character rides a longboard or skateboard and angles their back to catch the wind and zip around town. Trioceros montium has both a fin and some bizarre horns. Just some ideas.
 
Mendez said:
The casque is pretty much their skull. So if it were to break, it's probably game over. They can heal small injuries--kind of like if you were to get hit with a baseball on the head. You might get a permanent dent in your skull but you would be okay.

But yeah, chameleons aren't known for their healing abilities. Their tail is prehensile, so they don't drop it nor grow it back. If a cham were to lose a tail, it would die.

With that said, the character is fictional, so it's your world to build. I wouldn't blink twice if your hybrid chameleon person had super healing abilities. The mixing of genes could theoretically cause super-healing expressions.

Traits your cham hybrid might have:
  • Superhuman grip strength (from gripping tree branches all the time. Maybe your character even sleeps in the trees instead of a traditional bed).
  • Great eyesight (eyes always on a swivel so no one could sneak up on you)
  • Good camouflage (while not really true for chameleons, assuming this hybrid had human intellect, they could mentally relax or stress their chromatophores with monk-like training somewhere far away to gain excellent control of their color-changing abilities to blend in better to different environments). Sneaking around at night, they could change into a darker color. Idk, no need to overcomplicate it.
  • A strong-ass tongue. Cham tongues are really strong. We often see them strain their tongue when eating hornworms (blue caterpillars) that have incredible grip strength. You even see some chams shoot the worm and then run/swing over to it to bite it when the caterpillar doesn't let go. This is obviously not good for the cham. But since it's fictional, you might consider that as a functional power.
  • I kind of thought about this in the traditional superhero sense, so apologies if that isn't the case. Hello my friend. I think it's not a bad idea to take up professional writing. However, I think that this is a rather difficult task, especially for people like you and me without sufficient knowledge, skills and experience. That's why, at the initial stage, I recommend using the services of qualified specialists on website who can help you avoid common writing mistakes. I think this is the best option for you.
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Thanks for useful info!
 
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