it is a rare chameleon that lives for more than five months in “protective 
custody.” 
The three-horned chameleon, an East African species, is feared and 
hated by the natives, who erroneously believe it to be poisonous. The horns 
are coveted as ornaments by the women, who string them on necklaces. 
A young man who seizes one of the lizards and cuts off its horns is consid¬ 
ered exceedingly brave. 
AMERICAN “CHAMELEON” 
The American “chameleon,” which is technically no chameleon at all, 
but an anole, changes its color according to light and temperature condi¬ 
tions and according to its emotional state. In the trees, these creatures, all 
of five inches long including their three-inch tail, are hard to detect because 
they assume the dull brown color of tree bark. It is their bright eyes that 
sometimes give them away to collectors who sell them at fairs and circuses. 
When two males meet, they nod their heads as if to acknowledge one 
another’s presence. Then the skin of the throat is distended into a dewlap, 
and turns a bright pink, while the body turns gray. A moment later they 
are dashing back and forth, locked in battle. After the fight the loser turns 
a dull yellow and usually departs without his tail. The victor, however, 
turns a vivid green for some minutes, before gradually resuming his native 
brown. 
These anoles are catlike in seeking their food. They move slowly until 
within a few inches of their victim — a gnat, butterfly, beetle, spider, wasp 
or scorpion — then they extend their tongue and spring. 
A larger relative, the Cuban anole, attaining a length of sixteen inches, 
lives among mangoes, palms and other tropical trees. The body of this 
creature is green, its neck pouch yellow. It feeds on fruits and berries, and 
lays its eggs in the hollows of trees. The adults rarely descend to the 
ground, while the young hide among the dense leaves of the treetops. The 
males are exceedingly pugnacious. When they fight, a ridge temporarily 
forms on their back. 
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