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With so many fascinating forms and colors, it’s easy to spend hours studying the amazing variety of chameleons, but have you ever looked closely and wondered, Do Chameleons Have Ears? The answer is yes…but also, no. In fact, the answer depends on your definition of ears!
The chameleon does possess internal structures for detecting sound, but those ears do not have any external openings. The anatomy and physiology of reptile hearing is almost as varied as chameleons themselves, so we’re going to delve into the world of chameleon ears, and how they compare to other reptilians.
How Do Reptiles Hear?
To answer this question, the first thing we need to do is understand what hearing really means. Have you ever heard the question,
If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?
The reason the answer isn’t so straightforward is that a sound is the combination of sound waves created by one object, traveling through a gas or liquid, and received by some sort of receptor. So without a receptor, there are only soundwaves.
Because there is such variation in the ear structure of reptiles, let’s start by looking at the human ear as a basis.
| Ear canal (aka auditory canal): funnels soundwaves towards the eardrum
Eardrum (aka tympanic membrane): vibrates in response to soundwaves and transfers this vibration to the bones of the middle ear Auditory ossicles: tiny bones of the middle ear called the malleus, incus, and stapes (hammer, anvil, and stirrup). The ossicles conduct these vibrations through the ‘oval window’ into the semicircular canals and cochlea, where they are converted into the electrochemical messages of hearing. In reptiles, a single bone – the stapes or columella – serves this purpose. |
As you can see, the reptilian version is somewhat more simplified than that of the human, but the basics are still the same. Most reptiles can hear, but for many – snakes in particular – the vibrations are much more important than soundwaves. The chameleon is different again.
Chameleon Ears
The ears of all chameleon species have not been completely studied, but from the information that does exist, we know that their anatomy is completely different to other reptilians. So much so that we’re not sure they truly qualify as ears.
Not only do chameleons lack external ear structures, they also do not have a tympanic membrane, and their middle ear is either absent or vestigial at best. However, they have evolved some very special structural modifications that allow them to pick up the vibrations created by soundwaves, but actually hear low-frequency sounds, around 200-600 Hz. When compared to human hearing of 20-20,000 Hz, it is clearly a very narrow range.
The reason for this is likely to do with prey and predators. The level of vibrations created by tiny insects and small predators are not as readily detected as soundwaves, so it is more advantageous for the chameleon to be more sensitive to vibrations over sound.
Can Chameleons Hear Us?
Chameleons are aware of much, if not all, of the movements and sounds that are happening around them, but they will detect and interpret them in different ways. Although we can hear a wider range of sound frequencies, we don’t feel them.
If we want to converse with a pet chameleon, low whispers will be detected by their rudimentary ears. However, it is important to be aware that these tiny creatures may feel overwhelmed by living in a noisy home.
Their senses have evolved to detect the tiniest of movements in an otherwise quiet environment, so you can imagine that being surrounded by barking dogs, vacuum cleaners, music, and television, may be very stressful for these tiny reptiles. This is something that reptile lovers need to consider if they are thinking about bringing these beautiful creatures into their homes.
Final Thoughts
Chameleons do have ears, of a sort. Although they lack external ears, and their inner ear structures are more simplified than those of many other reptile species, they are still sensitive to sounds. They may not ‘hear’ things in the same way we do, but they have adaptations that allow them to sense tiny movements and vibrations in the world around them.
This means that they may feel overwhelmed by sounds and movements around them, which we need to bear in mind when we have them in our homes, and if you want to talk to your chameleon, a hushed whisper may be music to their ‘ears’.
Related Reads:
- How Long Can Chameleons Go Without Food and Water?
- Chameleon Myths and Misconceptions
- How Do Chameleons Change Color & Why Do They Do It?
Featured Image Credit: timmychanga57, Shutterstock
