Diaz Raul E, Anderson Christopher V, Baumann Diana P, Kupronis Richard, Jewell David, Piraquive Christina, Kupronis Jill, Winter Kristy, Greek Thomas J, Trainor Paul A
Department of Biology, La Sierra University, Riverside, California 92515; Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California 90007;
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912;
Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2015 Aug 26;2015(10):943-9. doi: 10.1101/pdb.prot087718.
Squamate reptiles comprise approximately one-third of all living amniotes. In most of these species, it is difficult to study gastrulation and neurulation because the embryos are at a late stage of development at the time of oviposition. This is not the case, however, in veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus), which are increasingly being used as a model organism to study these and other developmental and evolutionary phenomena. Originating from the Arabian Peninsula, veiled chameleons are arboreal specialists that possess extensive morphological specializations for climbing. They naturally inhabit semitropical habitats, but they also have an almost 30-yr history of being bred in captivity. Veiled chameleons breed readily and do not require a period of cooling to induce the reproductive cycle, and females can produce ∼45-90 eggs multiple times per year. Thus, compared with other reptiles, relatively few animals are needed to maintain a productive breeding colony. Herein, we present the conditions, equipment, and techniques required for proper husbandry and breeding of veiled chameleons within a laboratory environment.
有鳞目爬行动物约占现存所有羊膜动物的三分之一。在这些物种中的大多数中，研究原肠胚形成和神经胚形成很困难，因为胚胎在产卵时已处于发育后期。然而，在也门变色龙（Chamaeleo calyptratus）中情况并非如此，它们越来越多地被用作研究这些以及其他发育和进化现象的模式生物。也门变色龙原产于阿拉伯半岛，是树栖专家，具有广泛的形态学特征以适应攀爬。它们自然栖息于亚热带栖息地，但也有近30年的人工养殖历史。也门变色龙繁殖容易，不需要一段冷却期来诱导繁殖周期，雌性每年可多次产下约45 - 90枚卵。因此，与其他爬行动物相比，维持一个高产繁殖群体所需的动物数量相对较少。在此，我们介绍在实验室环境中对也门变色龙进行适当饲养和繁殖所需的条件、设备和技术。
