Freeze frame

This male chameleon (Chameleo jacksonii) at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, totes a 3.8 centimeter (1.5 inch) hatchling on his horns. But don't mistake this reptile (cold-blooded animal with scaly skin) for a loving parent. Chameleons hatch eggs but don't care for their young. "It would not surprise me if adults sometimes eat their babies!" says reptile scientist Christopher Raxworthy at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Apparently, this poor hatchling hasn't learned not to play near daddy's mouth.

In nature, chameleons bask on branches in the forests of Kenya, Africa, and wait for insects, spiders, or other lizards to pass within reach of their long, sticky tongues. Once a male finds a comfy branch, it defends its perch ferociously--those those bony horns aren't just a jungle gym for junior!

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