Ploughing Revealed a Clutch of Hatched Chameleons in Tanzania

Chameleons can be separated into two main groups based on their reproductive strategies: viviparous and oviparous species.

• Viviparous Chameleons

  give birth to live young after many months of gestation. This group includes all representatives of the South African genus *Bradypodion* and some montane species of the genus *Trioceros*. This strategy is an adaptation to living in cold climatic conditions characterized by high altitudes or the cool Mediterranean climate of southern Africa.

• Oviparous Chameleons

  deposit soft-shelled eggs into a tunnel dug usually in soil or sand. This group encompasses all the remaining chameleon genera and several species of the genus *Trioceros*. The eggs remain in the egg chamber or nest for several months before hatching.

The hatching process is usually induced by climate change, primarily through a substantial increase in substrate humidity caused by the beginning of the rainy season. The chameleons synchronize their development within the clutch and generally hatch within a span of one to several days. The fluid from already hatched eggs contaminates the surface of the still unhatched ones, prompting them to hatch as well. Once they resorb the remaining egg yolk, the hatchlings begin digging a tunnel that allows them to leave the incubation site and disperse into the environment.

The above-reported observation was made by Erick Obadia in the vicinity of Tukuyu, Rungwe District, in the Mbeya Region of southern Tanzania. The clutch was incidentally revealed during the ploughing of a field. Due to the observed morphology, location, and high number of specimens (around 40), the chameleons likely belong to the Flapneck Chameleon, Chamaeleo dilepis.

 Chamaeleo dilepis from same location, vicinity of Tukuyu, Rungwe District, in the Mbeya Region of southern Tanzania, Photo Erick Obadia