Some Chamaeleo calyptratus hatching in the lab currently as part of a bunch of thermal physiology, metabolic and scaling work. Always fun having babies born!

The first digital anatomical atlases of the chameleon skull, nervous system & cranial & hyolingual muscles are published, including lesson plans to bridge a gap between theoretical knowledge & hands-on analysis in comparative anatomy anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

🦎THREAD: We just published something wild in @asn-amnat.bsky.social - lizards missing entire limbs not only survive, but some appear to actually thrive in the wild?! Let me tell you about the "three-legged pirate" lizards 🏴‍☠️ [Paper: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/... ] (1/n)

Some fun chameleon and Anolis contributions from the Anderson Lab to this work!

A reevaluation of chameleon foraging mode using movement- & attack-based indices. Chameleons spent most of the day in stationary positions & fed more when stationary than when moving, suggesting they should be considered ambush foragers rather than "cruise foragers". academic.oup.com/cz/advance-a...

Some nice coverage on our new chameleon and salamander feeding paper: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujjq...

In our latest issue, we're going ballistic! On the cover, a chameleon capturing prey, using its ballistic tongue, driven by a linear actuator, a skeletal rod squeezed out by muscles. So ingenious is the solution that lungless salamanders evolved it too... 🦎 www.cell.com/current-biol...

While similar mechanistically, ballistic tongues of chameleons & salamanders were each assembled via a different sequence of innovations, highlighting how biomechanical modularity, rather than exceptional materials, underlies this vertebrate ballistic innovation.

Chameleons & salamanders evolved a sliding-based linear actuator to launch the tongue via muscular squeezing of a tapered skeletal rod, contrasting with tendon-driven pulling mechanisms common in most musculoskeletal systems, allowing acceleration along a straight path. www.cell.com/current-biol...

A 2nd clutch of Bradypodion melanocephalum from Durban was born in the lab this week (in addition to the clutch from Hilton ~2.5 weeks ago)! Here a 2 day old neonate is next to an ~12 week old juvenile (clutch has grown 6-10x in mass since birth). Lots of cool data being collected in the lab!

A clutch of Bradypodion cf. melanocephalum “Hilton” born in the lab today! Immediately getting some metabolic rate data from them to follow through ontogeny! Have also been getting metabolic rate data from the mother for the last 3 months and will continue as she recovers from birth as well!

Anderson lab members are coauthoring 11 talks and posters with collaborators at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyology and Herpetology (JMIH) this week in St. Paul, MN!

Two female Trioceros jacksonii, which appear to be T. j. xantholophus with rostral horns, from 2,130m elevation on the western/southwestern slopes of Mount Kenya.

Trioceros hoehnelii from 2,130m elevation on the western/southwestern slopes of Mount Kenya!

Some Trioceros hoehnelii from the Naro Moru route on Mount Kenya!

Aberdares Montane Dwarf Chameleon (Trioceros kinangopensis)!

Kenya Montane Viper (Montatheris hindii)!

High-casqued Chameleons (Trioceros hoehnelii)!

Members of the Anderson Lab (past and present) in Kenya. Of course they are finding lots of cool chameleons and other herps! Stay tuned for some cool highlights!

Headed home from a successful trip!

Recording feeding trials at different temperatures using high-speed video to look at thermal effects on performance in elastic recoil- and muscle-powered movements.

Searching for Bradypodion sp. “Emerald” (Emerald Dwarf Chameleons) and a couple things along the way.

Finding and photographing Bradypodion thamnobates, and animal care in the field at Colin Tilbury’s house.

Finishing off some collection and checking out some other local chameleon taxa. Bradypodion cf. melanocephalum “Hilton” & Bradypodion cf. thamnobates “Karkloof”

Some good luck finding chameleons & some looks at a few local snakes thanks to help from local herpers Nick Evans & Carla Goede! Bradypodion melanocephalum, Chamaeleo dilepis, Python natalensis hatchlings, & Dastpeltis inornata.

Off for a round of fieldwork in South Africa! Pictures from the trip and work to follow as usual.

Thread: A new lab publication explores functional, anatomical and developmental aspects of extreme length change among chameleon hyoid musculature. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... 1/6