Best known for its ability to quickly change colour, the chameleon actually has a whole host of other features that make it special. It can move its eyes independently, focusing on two objects in different positions at the same time. It has a very long, sticky tongue, which it shoots out at its prey with extraordinary speed and precision. Its legs have two opposable digits for a firm grip on branches. It has a prehensile tail that rolls up onto itself and can be used to grab objects and balance the weight of its body.
This animal could not fail to attract the curiosity of Antonio Vallisneri senior, a physician and naturalist who lived between the 17th and the 18th centuries, whose collections formed the core element of our museum. Vallisneri bred several chameleons and, upon studying them, discovered that their skin has “countless furrows and folds” into which air is channelled from the lungs. It is this feature that allows the chameleon to change colour quickly.
