A real tiny little thing that is extremely rare!
In my previous post I was so excited to capture a single rare Dwarf Chameleon on camera, but something told me that where there is smoke there's a fire. The question that I woke up with why was there only one?
So I tuned my brain's senses into observance mode (manually of course by sticking my finger up my nose) and I went on an investigation spree.
See for yourself what I found!
He said; "Hello steemians, look how cute am I"!
Small, as one inch is about 25 millimeters!
Now watch his eye movements! He looks forward!
And he looks up!
Then he looks down. Chameleons can roll their eyes in all directions without moving their heads!
Oh! And of course mommy dwarf chameleon was nearby!
On her way across my chest to give me a message!
She whispered in my ear; "Stephen, thank you for showing my beautiful baby to the world, but it's his breast feeding time now and so we have to go. I am shy, you know!"
Look how the baby matches the colors of the branches after I put him back!
Mommy's green color is complimented by the red bottle brush seed pod!
Of course I am mad to set them free, as if I capture and sell them I can name my price. Many will come running to buy these scarce specimens.
They can then be smuggled out of the country and sold for thousands of dollars, just as they do with many of Africa's other animals.
Somebody could even make "Dwarf Chameleon" soup of them!
But how then would I sleep at night knowing that I sold the free lives of these little wonders?
How could I reconcile myself to the fact that future children will never see God's wonders?
I despise poachers and slaughterers of wild animals just as much as mother nature does.
And so I whispered back to her; "Thank you my lady for this wonderful photo opportunity and I apologize on behalf of the human race for our cruelty. May you by grace stay free and have many more babies"
We hope that you have enjoyed the pictures and thank you for visiting a post by @papilloncharity
Note: These little prehistoric animals are residents in our complex. They were not harmed in any way and they were set free today!
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They are so sweet and cute! Thank you for sharing the rare opportunity to see one.
Thank you and I am so glad that I have found these rare beauties.
It was my absolute pleasure to share them with you.
Blessings!
Flipping adorable.
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Wow, I have seen them but afraid of touching them .. :P hahahahaha
Thank you may friend and they are totally harmless.
They don't have teeth and they cannot bite.
But they can blow themselves up to look very dangerous hahaha
Blessings!
"Dwarf Chameleon" soup? Really!!?? Yuck!
So sad but true my friend.
Blessings!
They look so tiny and cute. Loved to have em small like that all the time.
They look so tiny
And cute. Loved to have em small
Like that all the time.
- psyceratopsb
I'm a bot. I detect haiku.
Lovely baby chameleon! I think some of the close-ups would sit better for thumbnail, but anyway, Cheers!
Thank you and glad that you liked it.
I heeded your advice and edited the thumbnail picture my friend.
Thank you for the good advice!
Blessings!
Ps. Did you see his father in the previous post?
Well, I did not expect that effect :) Blessings to you, as well :)
I will take a look at the father in a moment.
Aw, that was wonderful. I like how you told a story as you showed each photograph. We have anoles ( a type of small lizard) here which change color with the environment. They are not chameleons, but people often call them that!
Thank you my friend.
The dwarfs are certainly very rare and I haven't seen one for many years.
Your anoles also sound very interesting.
Glad that you liked the story part.
Blessings!
You were honored by such rare creatures being so interested in you. Perhaps they too were thinking that you are a rare creature they haven’t seen in years! 😊
Hahaha, you are so kind with your words my friend.
Maybe they and I are relatives, as I could easily pass for a prehistoric dinosaur Lol
Blessings!
Too funny! Thanks for your Blessings wish! We are expecting to have a mandatory evacuation for this hurricane heading our way in Florida! A prayer for the safety of all would be appreciated. You can replace stuff, but not people!
So true here my friend and please know that we cover all of you in prayer.
I certainly hope for the hurricane to head out to sea.
Please take care.
Blessings!
Awe! They are cute! Such a shame that so many have been captured for pets that they are now endangered! Why can't folks just respect them for the beautiful beings they are and be grateful that they grace us with their presence! These little chameleons seems like you can totally enjoy them almost as pets with out taking away there freedom - they seem so tame!
One question - are chameleons not suppose to change colors to blend into their surroundings? Why did the big one not turn more blue on your shirt? I have never seen one before and i am not that familiar with them.
Love seeing the mom and baby - thanks for sharing!
Thank you and so glad that I found them again after so many years my friend.
Chameleons only change color when they select a spot to wait for prey.
During their slow walking process, or whenever they are manhandled they won't change color.
As you saw in the post, I found the baby on the grey branches and the baby's color matched the branch that he was sitting on. Very difficult to to see them.
The mother had her usual color as she was walking about.
However if I catch them and put them in a box of any color for a fairly long period, they will change to the color of the box.
But of course I don't want to do that, as they are free little beings.
Blessings!
omg you did not get scared them crawling up on you..
Hahaha, no my dear Vibi, they are harmless tiny little wonders of nature.
Blessings!
Wonderful captures! Isn’t this the cutest thing! I hope the mother and baby stay free & safe, Stephen.
Thank you Lady Jo.
I check on them every day now, as I know where they like to sit in the sun.
Let's hope a predator bird or a cat doesn't get to them.
Blessings!
I’m so glad you keep an eye out for them. The dwarf chameleons are so small and cute I would want bring them inside at night to keep them safe.
Hahaha, it is now softly raining here and I haven't been to check on them yet.
I have to admit that the thought to bring them inside also occurred, but mother nature advised me otherwise. She will protect them against the elements by leading them underneath the umbrella of dense leaves and I will not find them.
Blessings!
Hi papilloncharity,
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Thankfully no one knows exactly where the bush is, they are safe and sound to live on enjoying the fruits (insects) the trees offer them. An extraordinary find in the wild Stephen!
If only the predators or the 5 cats that we have prowling around here doesn't get to them Lady Joan.
I check on them every day now, but I don't touch them, as they may feel threatened and disappear. This morning I held a USB Flashdrive above each of them to show their sizes.
Blessings!
Good modern measuring stick everyone can relate to, nice idea since they are so small.
Hopefully cats don't see them and leave them alone (wild cats let the SPCA know and remove them), if possible don't allow anyone to prune that area of the garden (a big no, no for them). Fiscal shrike in the area will also hunt them along with snakes, you have not mentioned seeing any snakes in suburban life.
Really hoping they settle, imagine the joy of seeing them in coming years regularly.
Hahah, you answer all of my fears Lady Joan.
Yesterday I let a cat in the tree have it by giving him a wash with a hosepipe so I don't think that he will return.
The roaming cats belong to the unit owners here and there is nothing that I can do about them.
I think the snakes will only arrive when it's much warmer, but you are right, as it's the flying predators that worries me.
Fortunately the tree is out of the way and nobody has touched or pruned it for years, so that is not a worry.
We will just have to allow nature to run its course.
Blessings!
Now you know they are there they have extra protection, having Troy may put the cats off, yes nature looks after itself.
We have eventually had overnight soft rain falling, have not looked to see how much, every drop counts with a drop in temperature for a day or two I will enjoy the weather, have a great weekend Stephen.
Still a bit cold here Lady Joan, but most of the dams are in a good state and at this point in time things are starting to look much better.
Just shows how dependent we are on the very nature that we are are trying our best to destroy.
Troy has already had one or two skirmishes with the cats and soon they will stay away from here.
Blessings!
Troy will need a meddle for keeping the cats at bay, gives the birds and chameleons a chance to nest and live in the garden.
Congratulations on the @curie with your post today @papilloncharity
That's cute this chameleon !! I hope they continue in their natural environment. I observe that you are a very sensitive person and very respectful of the wonders of God's creation. You were very fortunate to know these chameleons and I hope that many children in the future will also have the opportunity to know the beauty of the most defenseless animals. Great regards @papilloncharity, the photographs are very beautiful.
Thank you for the kind comment dear friend.
We regards all life as sacred and our orders from God is to manage this earth. Nature always shows her treasures to those that loves her.
It was a great gift to see the little ones and will certainly try to keep them hidden.
All blessings to you and yours!
Aw, isn't she a darling? 😍
I've read from a magazine a few years ago that the smallest chameleon is found in Madagascar. Are you from that side of the world?
They are so lovely. I wish I could hold one in the future! 😊😁
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you my friend!
I am from South Africa, which is near Madagascar. We are at the southern tip of the African continent.
The little ones are very rare over here and it was so great to see them.
Blessings!
Oh I see. 😊 That's why you have those cute litte ones!!! 😁 Thank you so much!
I think they were taken over to Madagascar from here many years ago, or when the African continent split centuries ago to create the Madagascar island.
Blessings and a happy Friday to you!
When I saw the first photos at first i thought it was big then I realized it was on your thumb he really is so cute and I love watching them change colors as they change the environment
I have placed a measurement of their sizes in a post today JJ, as many souls on Discord also think they are normal chameleons.
The sad thing is when I Googled them this morning I saw that there was a site that offered them for sale.
Blessings!
If anyone had scrolled on past the first photo they would have seen how tiny it was but as we have discussed before there are many who do not do that
Sad to see people selling them
I also think that as the first photo appears on the feed they simply vote on the feed instead of opening the post JJ.
I can post about a bee with missing legs and receive replies like "A lovely fly" Nothing more period.
Blessings!
LOL Yes I have seen replies like that or the worst I saw was a very touching post about someone whose mother had just past, and they put flowers inthe photo, and so many of the comments were beautiful flowers so nice etc etc
Sad indeed JJ, but we also have to understand that many are not literate in the English language and they can only comment on the pictures. Maybe if they bother to scroll down they can get an idea about the story.
Blessings!
Yes the language is an issue of course and I do understand that, but for some it just because they are rushing to give comments and try to get people to visit them without giving much thought to it
All animals deserve our respect so you did the right thing. Those photos are stunning and I love that cute little creature. It must be such a lovely experience to come across them :) We don't have chameleons in nature here and I saw maybe one or two of them in my life so I would be overly excited to set my eyes on another one :)
Have a lovely day!
Thank you and I have not seen these little wonders again for over 30 years my friend, maybe even more.
It was indeed a delightful experience and I certainly hope that you will see them again.
I posted their actual size today.
Have a good Friday my friend.
Blessings!
Really cool. It's amazing how you can pick them up and take photos, without them running away like scaredy cats!
Fantastic post, thanks for sharing! 😎
Thank you my friend.
One has to be totally slow and calm when you come into contact with wild animals. Fortunately I am used to dealing with them.
Glad that you liked the post and may you have a good Friday.
Blessings!
I think I also want one in my hands hahhaahaha, it's so small, a great creature that gives us mother nature, I want one!
Hahaha, they are indeed fabulous little critters my friend, but sadly I am not going to give you one, as that would break up their little family.
But I have given you their pictures.
Blessings!
That is so awesome sir papilloncharity! Wow that baby one is so tiny! lol. What a blessing to be able to take those photos and share them with us!
Thank you Sir @Janton and it was indeed a beautiful and totally unexpected surprise.
Blessings!
What's amazing is that not only are they poaching and stealing bigger animals but even these tiny ones too!
Money talks my friend and as I said before, they steal even bees.
Nothing is safe in this country anymore.
Blessings!
That's crazy. I thought it was bad here but actually we have many areas and communities here where no crime happens and people hardly lock their doors at night.
Do you lock your car in the garage at night?
My car has a tracker installed and a gear lock and we live in a complex that is under 24 hour surveillance Sir @janton
VW Polo models are at the top of the stolen cars list and I take great care where I park ours when we are out on the roads.
Blessings!
Oh, very interesting, I hadn't heard of that model and had to look it up but VW is a great car. We used to use the VW "Bugs" to do everything on the farm, even herded cattle with them! They were almost indestructible..lol.
So you guys live in what we call a "gated community?"