Chameleon / Lizard / Reptile

QUESTION: What cool male creature, looking for a girl, can change his colour from brown to purple and light blue, then turn his eyelids yellow with green spots? Sound inviting, girls?! :) How does he do it? And how is that related to different skin colours in humans?

ANSWER: Chameleon. And melanin. That is also what gives us our skin colour. Someone who has brown skin simply has more melanin than someone who has pale coloured skin. It’s just like paint. This is a very important message for our children.

CHAMELEON / LIZARD / REPTILES ~ BIBLE VERSES

Did you know there is even a Bible verse about chameleons? It mentions lizards, geckos and chameleons (and warns us not to eat them).

Genesis 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Job 12:7-10 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee. Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee, and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

Acts 17:26-27 And hath made of ONE BLOOD all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation. That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.

CHAMELEON / LIZARD / REPTILES ~ INFORMATION FOR KIDS ~ FREE PRINTABLE (A4)

Chameleons

Chameleon – FREE article for kids | French (Paper Gifts for Estefany) My free articles for kids are all about giving glory to God as Creator and putting God at the centre of our packages for our children. This one is about the super cool chameleon and has an important message for our children about skin colour. Share this little engineering marvel with your child. Just click on the image or the link to go to my cloud storage where you can download it in full resolution for your child. Then scroll further down this post for the article text and some FREE chameleon (and other reptile) colouring pages, puzzles, crafts and creative ideas to round out your package and make it a party!

Laminate Tips / Other Languages
Laminate for best results and to keep it looking nice for your homeschool students. Print an extra copy for a friend. Add it to a binder with some FREE colouring pages, puzzles and crafts (scroll down this page) to make your own DIY Activity Book. For those children who are not English speaking, articles can still be sent to them but you may like to include all relevant text in the letter to make sure it gets translated. If you would like to do this for your child, you are welcome to copy and paste any of my text which is included at the end of this post.

Chameleons – 4 reasons they are amazing (creationmuseum) rapid fire tongue, colour changing skin, telephoto lense, seeing double; short, sharp and straight to the point; a Biblical perspective from scientists who take the Bible seriously.

Chameleon (answersingenesis) The chameleon is distinctly different from other lizards. The chameleon has the unique ability to move each eye in a different direction at the same time. It is designed with a very long and sticky tongue. The chameleon has a horn or crest on its head, while other lizards do not; information from scientists who take the Bible seriously.

Chameleon lays eggs (creationmuseum) One of the chameleons in the Creation Museum exhibit drew a small crowd as she dug a hole into which she deposited nine eggs. After five months of development, babies will emerge from the tiny eggs. The babies are remarkable because they are fully developed, with the complex eyes, tail, and other features of the adult chameleons, even at an incredibly small size. It is surprising that so many complex parts can fit into such a small package.

Chameleons – fun facts (answersingenesis) A chameleon’s tongue launches at more than 26 body lengths per second! The acceleration is 5 times the acceleration of a fighter jet. Taking a look at the amazing design that God used when creating these unique reptiles; information from scientists who take the Bible seriously.

A Bug’s worst nightmare (answersingenesis) He might look bizarre to you, but not to a bug. With his impressive arsenal of specialized hunting equipment, the chameleon is truly a master of disaster; great photos and information from a Biblical perspective from scientists who take the Bible seriously.

Why Chameleons? (creationmuseum; scroll down to number 3) When you come to visit the Creation Museum, you will notice various kinds of live animals. We chose chameleons because it is very easy to show how they are irreducibly complex—the shooting tongue would not work unless it was all made at once—the bone that it folds up, accordion-style, for storage; the muscles that propel it out; the suction-cup end and stickiness that help it grab insects; and other special muscles that bring it back in. Just imagine the chameleon trying to eat if just one of these pieces of the puzzle had not “evolved” yet. This is one way to show our guests about God’s amazing creation; information from scientists who take the Bible seriously.

Chameleons (richardgunther; scroll down to ‘020’) Want to see evidence for God? Look no further than the chameleon; an illustrated one-page article for kids; free printable

Other Reptiles

Reptiles (answersingenesis) various articles for kids from scientists who take the Bible seriously.

Nippy Iguanas (answersingenesis) Hey kids, welcome back to our series on the mysteries of created kinds. This week we move to reptiles and into Central and South America; from scientists who take the Bible seriously.

Diverse Dragons (answersingenesis) Hey kids, welcome back to our series on the mysteries of created kinds. This week, we go to lizards; the colors are still there, along with some wild behaviors; from scientists who take the Bible seriously.

Sticky Feet – God’s amazing design (answersingenesis) What living creature comes in an assortment of brilliant colors, uses its tongue to clean and moisten its eyes, has feet that can stick to most surfaces, and is being studied by one of the largest car manufacturers in the world? The answer is the gecko; from scientists who take the Bible seriously.

Snake with legs (icr.org) As weird as it may sound, some snakes had legs; information from scientists who take the Bible seriously.

‘Jesus lizards’ run on water (icr.org) across the surface of ponds in Central and South America; this lizard doesn’t crawl across water—it motors. How? Incredible talent like this could only have come from the Creator. Share a snippet with your child or print off the whole article; from scientists who take the Bible seriously.

See also: Turtles | Tortoise | Dinosaurs

CHAMELEON / LIZARD / REPTILES ~ COLOURING PAGES FOR KIDS ~ FREE PRINTABLE

Chameleon – colouring (answersingenesis) Camo the chameleon changes, but God never changes, God is forever great; free printable

Chameleon – colouring (Christiananswers) God gave the chameleon an amazing ability; it can hide itself by changing colors to match its surroundings. Scripture tells us that the Israelites were forbidden to eat certain kinds of animals, including the chameleon; free printable

Chameleon – colouring (Dover sample) fine detail

Chameleons | Lizards | Reptiles – colouring pages (supercoloring) various to choose from; free printable

Gecko – colouring (colouringpages; scroll down); Green Anole (lizard) – colouring (scroll down) lizard native to the southeastern United States; Basilisk | Alligator – colouring; free printable

Chameleon – colouring (samanthasbell) free printable

Komodo Dragon – colouring (Dover sample)

Marine Iguana – colouring (Dover sample)

Chameleon – colouring | Lizard – colouring (mondedestitounis) cute cartoon style; free printable

Chameleon – colouring (hellokids) various to choose from; free printable

Chameleon – colouring (pixabay) free printable

Chameleon – colouring (redtedart) with fine decorative detail; free printable

Alligator – colouring (samanthasbell) free printable

Crocodile – colouring (coloringcafe) free printable

See also: Turtles | Tortoise | Dinosaurs

Jazz up your colouring pages combine or shrink colouring pages, add a title, a border, a Bible verse and some clip art to make them more interesting with this tutorial.

CHAMELEON / LIZARD / REPTILES ~ PUZZLES FOR KIDS ~ FREE PRINTABLE

Lizard Design – crossword (answersingenesis) 11 clues from a word bank; Chameleon – hidden picture puzzle; Iguana – word search 10 words; Diverse Dragons – word search 8 words to find out about the Agamidae—the agamid lizard kind; free printable

Chameleon – find 10 differences (supercoloring); Iguana – find 10 differences; Crocodile Diver – find 15 differences; free printable

Lizard | Salamander | Crocodile | Alligator | Snake – dot to dots (connectthedots101) free printable

Chameleon – hidden picture puzzle (woojr) free printable

Lizard – maze (museprintables); Alligator – maze; free printable

See also: Turtles | Tortoise | Dinosaurs

DIY puzzles use the information from my free chameleon article to make up your questions and answers tailored to suit your child.

CHAMELEON / LIZARD / REPTILES ~ CRAFTS / ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS ~ FREE PRINTABLE

Run, Run, Frilled Neck Lizard on the Run (Biblesnackpacks; click on number 2) When it decided that Sean was getting too close, the lizard opened it’s mouth, spread out it’s frill to the size of a dinner plate, hissed, and whacked it’s tail against the tree. When that didn’t scare Sean off, the frilled neck lizard jumped to the ground and ran like lightning on it’s two back legs to a tree that could be climbed to safety; grab a snack from the Bible. God has many exciting things for us to discover in His Word and in His world. Stories, devotionals, and paper craft activity to cut out and colour a frilled neck lizard bookmark; (and scroll down the index page a bit further to ‘speaking with a forked tongue’ for another lesson on a lace monitor lizard); free printable

Frilled Neck Lizard – paper roll craft (thecrafttrain) an adorable craft to make from a paper towel roll, cupcake case for the frilled neck, paint, and googly eyes; free printable

Crocodile – clothespin craft (theinspirationedit) using clothes pegs, green paint, goggly eyes, and green pipe cleaners; for your homeschool students.

Alligator – 3D paper craft (skiptomylou) a cute pillow box craft of an alligator with hearts and a special message in its mouth that can be filled with treats; cut, fold, and glue; free printable

Lizard – 3D paper craft (krokotak) print, colour, cut and fold; Crocodile – 3D paper crafts; free printable

Iguana – paper craft (artsycraftsymom) make a cute little iguana from cut and paste shapes

Frilled Neck Lizard – origami (origami-amazing) diagram and instructions on how to make with your own paper.

Alligator – DIY puppet (iheartcraftythings) to cut out and make using an envelope

Crocodile – 3D paper craft (Dover sample) to cut out and make

Crocodile – paper roll craft (preschoolactivities) to make using your own template

Iguana – mask (supercoloring); Lizard – mask; in colour or to colour; free printable

Terrain Tiles – paper craft (mylittlehouse) terrain tiles, rocks, cliffs, trees, leaves and roots to cut out and use for your dioramas and crafts; free printable

Chameleon – 3D paper craft (canon) to cut out and make; Bearded Dragon – 3D paper craft; Leopard Gecko – 3D paper craft; free printable (via sign-in)

Crocodile – 3D paper craft (mylittlehouse) print, cut and assemble two crocodiles. The set comes with 2 river terrain tiles and foliage to place along the riverbank; for purchase

See also: Turtles | Tortoise | Dinosaurs

Templates

Chameleon – template (supercoloring); Chameleon – template; Salamander – template; Lizard – template; Iguana – template; Alligator – template; Cobra – template; Rattlesnake – template; to cut out and use for crafts; free printable

Crocodile – template (ministryark; scroll down) 3 per page; in colour or to colour; to cut out and use for crafts; free printable

Lizard – outline template (patternuniverse); Iguana – outline template; Salamander – outline template; Gecko – outline template; Komodo Dragon – outline template; to cut out and use for crafts; free printable

Iguana – silhouette template (silhouettegarden); Lizard – silhouette template; Gecko – silhouette template; Salamander – silhouette template; Crocodile – silhouette template; Alligator – silhouette template; Cobra – silhouette template; to cut out and use for crafts; free printable

CHAMELEON / LIZARD / REPTILES ~ LEARN TO DRAW FOR KIDS ~ FREE PRINTABLE

Frilled Lizard – learn to draw (drawingtutorials101); Chameleon – learn to draw; Chameleon – learn to draw; Lizards – learn to draw various to choose from; Reptiles – learn to draw various to choose from; Crocodile – learn to draw; free printable

Chameleon – learn to draw (supercoloring); Chameleon – learn to draw; Iguana – learn to draw; Iguana – learn to draw; Lizard – learn to draw; Lizard – learn to draw; Leopard Gecko – learn to draw; Bearded Dragon – learn to draw; Iguana – learn to draw; Crocodile – learn to draw; Alligator – learn to draw; King Cobra – learn to draw; Python – learn to draw; free printable

Chameleon – learn to draw (Dover sample) draw the surroundings where he is hiding so he can blend in.

See also: Turtles | Tortoise | Dinosaurs

CHAMELEON / LIZARD / REPTILES ~ PHOTO FUN ~ FREE PRINTABLE

Chameleon – photo frame (photofuneditor) on a surfboard with tropical flowers and pineapple in a summer theme; free printable

CHAMELEON / LIZARD / REPTILES ~ PAPER GIFTS FOR KIDS ~ FREE PRINTABLE

Posters

Frilled Neck Lizard – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) a gorgeous frilled neck lizard from the outback Australian desert with Bible verse from Psalm 59:16; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; click on each image or link to go to my cloud storage where you can download them in full resolution; free printable

Chameleon – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verse from Psalm 33:18; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Lizard – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verse from 1 Peter 3:12; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Lizard – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verse from Psalm 34:15; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Chameleon – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verse from Proverbs 15:3; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Chameleon – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verse from Proverbs 5:21; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Lizard – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) iguana with Bible verses from Isaiah 46:9-10; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Chameleon – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verse from 2 Chronicles 16:9; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Reptile Spine – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verses from 2 Kings 17:38-39; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Green Gold Dust Day Gecko – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) a gorgeous green, gold dust, day gecko with blue-rimmed eyes and Bible verse from Zechariah 1:3; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Chameleon – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verses from Psalm 62:5-6; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Chameleon – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verses from Psalm 24:7-8; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Chameleon – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verses from Psalm 34:3-4; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Lizard – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verse from Joshua 23:11; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Chameleon – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verses from 2 Timothy 2:3-4; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Leopard Gecko – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verse from Nahum 1:7; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Chameleon – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verse from Psalm 119:101; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Lizard – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verses from Philippians 4:6-7; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Chameleon – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verse from Psalm 107:31; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Lizard – FREE Bible poster (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with Bible verses from Isaiah 55:6-7; bright pink, lime, and dark grey background; free printable

Glue / Bumpy Toe Pads – poster (answersingenesis) showing the creative ways that God’s different creatures hang on – bumpy toe pads (geckos), hooks, glue, ridges, clingy hairs, suckers and clamps; free printable

Bookmark

Reptile – FREE Bible bookmark (Paper Gifts for Estefany) with gorgeous frilled neck lizard and chameleon with Bible verses from Psalm 59:16 and Psalm 33:18; bright pink, lime and white background; click on the image or the link to go to my cloud storage where you can download it in full resolution; free printable

Other

Crocodile – week planner (frompond) on green background; free printable

See also: Turtles | Tortoise | Dinosaurs

MORE CREATIVE IDEAS

Jazz up your colouring pages and envelopes if you are including any special treats like stickers for your homeschool children. Don’t see any chameleon puzzles you like? Make your own! Found a cute chameleon photo or clip art that your child will love? Add a favourite Bible verse and make your own:

Bible poster | verse card
Bible bookmark ~ add your child’s name
Bible note cards
Bible wallet cards
Bible stickers
Bible board game
Stationery

CHAMELEON / LIZARD / REPTILES ~ STATIONERY FOR KIDS ~ FREE PRINTABLE

Lizards / Chameleons – FREE stationery (Paper Gifts for Estefany) a strip of lizards and chameleons header and footer with Bible verse from Psalm 59:16; bright pink, lime strips on white background; free printable

Chameleon – stationery (sparklebox) a cheeky chameleon with green border; portrait or landscape so as well as using it for your stationery, these pages could also be used to jazz up your colouring pages or puzzles; free printable

Crocodile – stationery (freeprintablestationery) free printable

See also: Turtles | Tortoise | Dinosaurs

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ARTICLE TEXT

CHAMELEON – MASTERS OF CAMOUFLAGE

Well, what do you think of these weird looking guys?! Hmmm…! They look like fun! Chameleons are incredible creatures and distinctly different from other lizards! The chameleon has a horn or crest on its head, while other lizards do not. ‘Chameleon’ means ‘ground lion’ in Greek. I guess they do look a little ferocious! They can also move each large eye in a different direction at the same time. That’s pretty freaky! They are usually green, but can rapidly change colour for camouflage or “mood.” They also change colour due to heat, light, cold, stress and shock. One male goes to great lengths to get a girl—he starts out brown in colour and changes to purple and light blue; and his eyelids turn yellow with green spots! Cool!

How do they change colour?

The outer layer of a chameleon’s skin is transparent. It is made of keratin—just like our skin and fingernails. Beneath that, are two layers of red and yellow pigments stored in cells, then one layer reflecting blue and another reflecting white. Under all that is the most important layer for colour change—the dark brown pigment called melanin, which has ‘tentacles’ reaching into the upper layers. The colours change when the various cells expand or contract—how relaxed or tense they are—as to which colours reflect through. Melanin is also what gives us our skin colour. Someone who has brown skin simply has more melanin than someone who has pale coloured skin. It’s just like paint!

Other Chameleon Design Features

The chameleon can grip objects with both their hands and feet. They can also use their tail as a fifth limb. Those eyes were designed with a spectacular telephoto lens. They can focus really sharply on things far away or things as close as 3cm away. Much better than us. Try it! Bring your finger to about 3cm (about an inch) from your eyes. We can see the outline okay, although it is a bit blurry, but for the chameleon that finger would be crystal clear. They also have a very long and sticky tongue—which has special muscles and shoots out at lightning speed. It is up to 1½ times the length of their body, to help them catch insects easily. Just before their tongue hits, two muscles pull the middle of the chameleon’s tongue tip back, to form a suction cap. Imagine the fun we could have with one of those! Chameleons need both the suction cap AND the super fast tongue to catch their food. One is useless without the other. They had to be both there and working properly, right from the very beginning or they would have starved. The tongue is also like a clever sling shot, and far better than anything humans have ever invented. Engineers are always trying to copy God’s superior designs, but they are never as good!

Chameleons are superb examples of God’s exquisite craftsmanship and were specially designed by Him to live in trees. With their colour and shape, they can be easily mistaken for a leaf or a branch. They did not start out as something simple that gradually became more complex. The oldest Chameleon-KIND fossil that has been found looks exactly like a Chameleon. Could you change colour just by concentrating really hard? No! Neither did they! They did NOT have to TRY to blend in or work out how they could camouflage themselves—they could just do it! God gave them that special gift. Do you have a special gift that you seem to be able to just do? Like chameleons, God has given each of us a special gift, to be used for His honour and glory. We’ve all been designed by a Creator who knew exactly what He was doing. Chameleons were made on day 6—along with all the other animals that live on land—in the very first week of history when the world was made. Read all about it in your Bible in Genesis 1.

Isn’t God clever to think up so many astonishing and fabulous designs? God also created every kind of creature to reproduce after its own KIND. When a Chameleon has a baby, it is not a crocodile or a fish or a goat. We know that it will be a baby chameleon. God created so many wonderful things for us to care for and enjoy. Things that are beautiful…. intricate… mysterious… perfect. To teach us about Him. To show us how magnificent, wise and powerful He is. So that we will worship Him. Jesus! God the Creator!

EXTRA CHAMELEON FUN FACTS

CLASS: Reptilia (reptiles)
ORDER: Squamata (amphisbaenians, lizards, and snakes [scaly])
FAMILY: Chamaeleonidae (Old World chameleons)
GENUS/SPECIES: About 90 species—but only 2 genera—probably descended from only one or two created kinds, which now have many varieties.
Size: Most grow to 17—25cm (7”—10”). The longest can reach 60cm (2ft).
Original Diet: Plants; Present Diet: Insects
Habitat: Tropical and mountainous rainforests, savannas, and steppes of northern Africa, the Middle East, India, and Madagascar
Their body is almost entirely flat.
Just like clothes, their skin does not grow with them, so they shed it when they grow.

INFORMATION FROM:

Information from creation.com, a fabulous site with lots of scientific information from a Biblical perspective. Got questions about God? This is the place you will find real answers. Like me, it is all about reinforcing the authority of Scripture and giving glory to God as designer. Remember, God says what He means and means what He says. We MUST take His Word seriously.

THANK YOU / MERCI BEAUCOUP!

A very big thank you to L. Walther for very kindly providing the translation of this article for us, on behalf of all our French speaking children.

…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

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