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Words From the Editor

By Christopher V. Anderson


Citation:

Anderson, C.V. (2005). Words from the editor. Chameleons! Online E-Zine, December 2005. (http://www.chameleonnews.com/05DecAndersonWFTE.html)


I’d like to start by thanking the rest of the E-Zine team with their help in getting this issue finished. I couldn’t have done it without them and as always, am greatful to have such an excellent group working with me. I’ve added a second Assistant Editor as of this issue, Jason Descamps. Many of you likely recognize Jason from various articles he’s written for the E-Zine in the past. I’m pleased to have him helping run the E-Zine and I’m sure we’ll all benefit from the extra experience and input he’ll provide

As you may or may not have noticed, our online submission form is now working again. It can be accessed by clicking the “Contact” tab on the toolbar at the top of the page. You can use it to submit your name to our email notification list so you know when future issues come out, to submit questions, article suggestions, etc. I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t already signed up for the email notifications to do so!

I’m very pleased with the content of this issue, as I hope each of you will be as well. To begin with, “roo” has provided what I’m convinced is the most complete care sheet on the Bearded Pygmy Chameleons (Rieppeleon brevicaudatus) that has ever been written. His success with this species has been quite inspiring to many interested in the Brookesiinae subfamily. I know many working with this species have been anxiously awaiting any insight he might have to his success and I’m sure his article will prove extremely helpful to anyone looking for information on the care of this species.

Additionally, Kristina Lucas and Jason Descamps have once again teamed up to continue on from their introduction to the importance of Ethical Breeding Practices, with an article on Choosing a Dealer. Hopefully this will help provide buyers with ideas of what to consider when making a chameleon purchase and will encourage buyers and sellers to improve their standards. As everyone knows, there is always room for improvement and future improvements may very well separate successful keepers, breeders, and suppliers from those who may not be as successful.

Leah Kroo has provided us with some useful experiences with Bradypodion fischeri multituberculatum. These amazing chameleons definitely have not received much of the attention they deserve and hopefully this outline on their care will help increase future success and efforts with this species. With so few being bred every year, I hope a more sustainable captive population appears.

B.J. Caruthers (lele) has come back in this issue to provide keeping and breeding insights into hornworms. As a feeder, hornworms are highly cherished by many chameleons yet it seems that their price and a perceived difficulty in their care and breeding often push people away from using them. This article helps to provide some excellent information on their care and breeding for keepers interested in adding them to their list of feeder diversity that they offer their animals.

In an attempt to make a starter outline of some of the more basic chameleon care concepts available to new keepers, I’ve attempted to write an Introduction to Chameleon Care article for this issue. I would like to caution readers that this article should be used for a basic understanding of chameleons and their care but that further research into chameleons, their care and individual species requirements should be conducted prior to purchasing a first chameleon.

Starting this issue, our new Assistant Editor, Jason Descamps, will be taking over the reins of the Q&A section to help spread the responsibilities of the E-Zine. As usual, online submissions for this section can be sent via the online submission form in the Contact page or directly to Jason at Jason.Descamps@chameleonnews.com.

We're working hard on the next issue already. At this moment, we’re hoping for its release before the typical three month mark. If you have articles you'd like to submit for this or later issues, please contact me about them. Don't be shy, if you have something you'd like to share, I'd love to talk to you about it!



Christopher V. Anderson


Chris Anderson is a herpetologist currently working on his Ph.D. at the University of South Florida after receiving his B.S. from Cornell University. He has spent time in the jungles of South East Asia, among other areas, aiding in research for publication. He has previously traveled throughout Madagascar in search of, and conducting personal research on, the chameleons of the region. He has traveled to over 35 countries, including chameleon habitat in 6. Currently, Chris is the Editor and Webmaster of the Chameleons! Online E-Zine and is studying the kinematics and morphological basis of ballistic tongue projection and tongue retraction in chameleons for his dissertation. Chris Can be emailed at Chris.Anderson@chameleonnews.com or cvanders@mail.usf.edu.

 

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