FEEDING HABITS OF THE COMMON CHAMELEON, CHAMAELEO CHAMAELEON (LINNAEUS, 1758) IN THE SOUTHEASTERN IBERIAN PENINSULA
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We present the feeding habits of the common chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) at Taramay, a small coastal valley in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula. Fecal pellets collected from sexed and measured specimens trapped in the field were used for diet analysis. Thirty-four fecal samples provided a total of 777 identified prey items. All prey were arthropods and the numerically dominant groups were Diptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, and Heteroptera. We failed to find sexual differences in diet preference, but there was a seasonal shift in the prey consumed. Orthoptera, the largest prey type, was consumed less in spring than summer or autumn. Examination of grasshopper phenology in coastal habitats of the southeastern Iberian Peninsula, and of the change in chameleon habitat utilization and mobility during the mating period, verified that the common chameleon appears to consume grasshoppers in approximate proportion to their abundance. Prey consumed were smaller than in previous studies. We believe the earlier findings may have been biased due to the diet consisting of captive specimens. Most of the prey consumed in the present study were flying insects, perhaps reflecting the arboreal habits of this climbing species; and most prey were also mobile, as has been predicted for sit-and-wait foragers such as the common chameleon.
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FEEDING HABITS OF THE COMMON CHAMELEON, CHAMAELEO CHAMAELEON (LINNAEUS, 1758) IN THE SOUTHEASTERN IBERIAN PENINSULA
In: Israel Journal of Ecology and EvolutionSearch for other papers by JUAN M. PLEGUEZUELOS in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by JUAN C. POVEDA in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by RAQUEL MONTERRUBIO in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by DIEGO ONTIVEROS in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
We present the feeding habits of the common chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) at Taramay, a small coastal valley in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula. Fecal pellets collected from sexed and measured specimens trapped in the field were used for diet analysis. Thirty-four fecal samples provided a total of 777 identified prey items. All prey were arthropods and the numerically dominant groups were Diptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, and Heteroptera. We failed to find sexual differences in diet preference, but there was a seasonal shift in the prey consumed. Orthoptera, the largest prey type, was consumed less in spring than summer or autumn. Examination of grasshopper phenology in coastal habitats of the southeastern Iberian Peninsula, and of the change in chameleon habitat utilization and mobility during the mating period, verified that the common chameleon appears to consume grasshoppers in approximate proportion to their abundance. Prey consumed were smaller than in previous studies. We believe the earlier findings may have been biased due to the diet consisting of captive specimens. Most of the prey consumed in the present study were flying insects, perhaps reflecting the arboreal habits of this climbing species; and most prey were also mobile, as has been predicted for sit-and-wait foragers such as the common chameleon.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 515 | 67 | 6 |
| Full Text Views | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 11 | 0 | 0 |
