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what does the term "old world chameleon" mean?

dennis scott
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compasscreek backcountry adventures

If you are asking where the term "old World" came from:
"old world" is with respect to the discovery of North and South America. Europe and the already-known lands became the "old world" and this whole new land became the "new world".

If you are asking why we use it to describe chameleons:
We say "old world " chameleons because true chameleons are endemic to the old world. The color changing anole from the new world is frequently called a chameleon and we use the "old world" designation to make it clear that we are talking about TRUE chameleons.

Did I answer the right question?
Bill

Hi- Here is a good definition for you;

"Chameleons" from the America's are new world chameleons. They are really anoles. Old world chameleons are from Africa, Asia and Europe and are the true chameleons with the independent moving eyes, prehensile tails, fussed toes etc. anoles have none of those features.

Hope this Helps!
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John
1.1 Ambilobe Panthers
1.1 Nosy Be Panthers
1.1 Sambava Panthers

but where do CBB(captive bred and born...i know you know just making sure. lol) chameleons come into the picture? CBB would be from the americas sooo... would they be considered anoles then?

also an anole LOOKS nothing like a chameleon let alone features. i mean they both have heads and tails but anoles don't have perhensil tails or have the "crab claw" feet. is "anole" a generic term ?

dennis
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compasscreek backcountry adventures

okay. I'll assume you are not being a wise guy and take this one seriously....the terms "old" and "new" world refer to where they originally come from. And Hawaii for Jacksons doesn't count! It is not meant to be an accurate description of where the animal in your hand physically came from.

The Carolina Anole was widespread in the pet trade and you could get them everywhere sold as chameleons. Everyone knows that chameleons change their color and these little anoles changed from brown to green and back so some genius marketer decided it would be better for sales if they were called chameleons rather than anoles. No serious herp person ever considered them related. It was a marketing thing for the guys that sold them in Boys Life magazine and sold them at fairs. And it stuck. Kind of like that old "Chameleons change color to match their background" thing. Someone thunk it up and it stuck. It stuck so much that books recently published include the err. It is so ingrained in people minds that people will get in an arguement with me over it. All this while I am holding a green chameleon in front of my white shirt. Even evidence in front of their eyes does nothing to sway this deeply held religious belief!
Bill

yes, were their 'ansestors' came from. Were their natural habitat is in the wild. also like bill said, that doesnt mean jacksons from hawaii, they were inroduced thier.
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Jamie whitehouse

By the way, that "wise guy" crack was made very much in jest!
Bill