zippy chippy ( born april 20 , 1991 ) is a thoroughbred race horse , a bay gelding , who is notable for being winless in 100 races .

zippy chippy 's pedigree includes many famous horses , such as ben brush , buckpasser , busanda , bold ruler , count fleet , man o ' war , nasrullah , native dancer , northern dancer , round table , tom fool , war admiral and the greatest " blue hen " broodmare of the twentieth century , la troienne .

zippy chippy

zippy chippy <EOT> owner and trainer felix monserrate and his horse , zippy chippy , in 2010 .

monseratte became zippy chippy ' s trainer after 20 starts . there were several close calls as zippy chippy was second eight times while earning us $ 30 , 834 .

' that ' s the one you gotta help . that ' s zippy chippy ! '

zippy chippy in retirement at old friends at cabin creek . ( old friends at cabin creek )

zippy chippy even lost a 40 - yard race to minor - league baseball player jose herrera .

the legend of zippy chippy and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle . learn more

today , zippy chippy is 25 years old and living on a retirement farm in greenfield , ny .

a long - awaited book on the life of zippy chippy may still be a year away , but the official zippy chippy ice cream , zippy chippy gelato , debuted — and sold out — last month at an event in kentucky . half - pint containers could be available at the saratoga track this summer .

“i asked where i could find a book on zippy chippy” thomas says . “but there wasn’t one . ”

zippy chippy ( left ) seen racing at freehold raceway in freehold , n . j . in 2001 .

that somebody is likely to be joann pepper , zippy chippy ' s landlord and his most enthusiastic fan .

zippy chippy has seven second - place finishes and 12 thirds for career earnings of $ 29 , 167 .

now - retired zippy chippy descended from champions - - but finished with a professional record of 0 for 100 .

not even starting the race as the betting favorite could get zippy chippy his first win in a career of futility .

a well written book about zippy chippy , the horse that loved to race , just not win . i enjoyed it .

the legend of zippy chippy : life lessons from horse racing ' s most lovable loser , is published by mccelland & stewart .

“what do you do ? ignore him ? he is the one you got to help the most . that’s zippy chippy . ”

felix monserrate and his horse , zippy chippy , were possibly the two most stubborn players in thoroughbred racing . ( emily schoeneman )

zippy chippy will enjoy retirement alongside seven other retired racehorses , most notably 1992 travers and jim dandy winner and millionaire thunder rumble .

zippy chippy did manage to finish second eight times . he got a few thirds . his career winnings totaled $ 30 , 000 . it ' s a record that makes one wonder why his owner kept bringing zippy chippy to the track . joann pepper thinks part of the reason was that zippy came cheap .

hey buddy , why the long face ? zippy chippy is a race horse who broke record after record — for being the losingest thoroughbred in north american history . we speak with the author of a new book about the horse that was more chippy than zippy .

the legend of zippy chippy : life lessons from horse racing ' s most lovable loser by william thomas will be released april 5 .

toronto — they ' re related but it ' s obvious zippy chippy didn ' t get grandfather northern dancer ' s racing genes .

toronto - they ' re related but it ' s obvious zippy chippy didn ' t get grandfather northern dancer ' s racing genes .

with a bridle nameplate that reads ‘racing’s biggest loser , ’ zippy chippy can rightly claim to be the worst racehorse of all time .

william thomas discusses his book , ' the legend of zippy chippy , ' on the agenda in the summer , july 21 , 2016 .

“there’s just something about that name , zippy chippy , ” said bill flynn , then a reporter for oag affiliate wxxi in rochester , n . y . , who was on the scene in 1999 for zippy chippy ' s record setting 86 th consecutive race without a win .

he traded a beat - up white ford pickup for the horse . for all that he lost , at least zippy chippy tried , and tried again , at least that is how monserrate saw things . “felix always believed he could turn zippy chippy into a star , ” schoeneman said recently .

zippy chippy , whose horse racing record was 0 - 100 , is seen with his owner felix monserrate ( left ) . zippy ' s story will be published in a book next month ( right )

in the legend of zippy chippy , life lessons from horse racing’s most lovable loser , author and humourist william thomas chronicles zippy’s ascension , or rather , decline , into the history books . thomas writes :

zippy would go on to set his own records in his own way — by losing . his idiosyncratic story is told in william thomas’ new biography “ the legend of zippy chippy ” ( mcclelland & stewart ) .

the legend of zippy chippy : life lessons from horse racing ' s most lovable loser , from author william thomas , is set to be released april 5 .

that produced groans from the crowd of about 100 people in the rickety wooden grandstand . zippy chippy had started the race as a 2 - 1 betting favorite .

zippy chippy , 21 , the hapless horse who lost 100 consecutive races , has taken temporary residence at old friends , the scott county farm for retired thoroughbreds .

zippy chippy , 25 , is currently at greenfield center , n . y . , farm , hanging out with best friend and fellow gelding red dawn south .

but zippy chippy , despite a pedigree that also includes bold ruler ( secretariat ' s father ) and u . s . triple crown winner war admiral , lost all 100 races he ran . canadian humourist william thomas chronicles the american - bred gelding ' s colourful career in his book " the legend of zippy chippy . "

“he ran good and he got tired toward the end , ” jockey juan rohena said of zippy chippy . “he was real sharp and he tried real hard . ”

on the occasion of only a game ' s 20 th anniversary , bill littlefield went in search of zippy chippy , to offer our apologies … and maybe a carrot .

this july 20 , 2012 photo shows zippy chippy , front , sharing a paddock with his pal and fellow gelding red down south , at old friends farm near georgetown , ky . they ' re related but it ' s obvious zippy chippy didn ' t get grandfather northern dancer ' s racing genes . the canadian press / ap / bruce schreiner

william thomas is the author of a new book , the legend of zippy chippy : life lessons from horse racing ' s most lovable loser . he recently sat down with as it happens host carol off to discuss zippy ' s story .

foaled at capritaur farm in new york , zippy chippy boasts a pedigree that includes northern dancer , buckpasser , bold ruler and round table—some of the fastest horses of all time .

before the race , monserrate was optimistic , despite the fact his horse was starting on the outside—a position he doesn’t like . he said zippy chippy was “relaxed and happy . ”

zippy chippy was apparently a betting favorite due to his record , not in spite of it . at one point , the odds on him winning were listed as even money .

fans and trainers had opposite views , however , of whether zippy chippy is good for thoroughbred racing , a sport that has seen a steady decline in interest over the years .

but for zippy chippy , his notoriety as the most losingest thoroughbred in racehorse history is why the 25 - year - old bay gelding has legions of fans across the world .

but zippy had a complicated relationship with racing and training , and the happier felix got , the more zippy loved to terrorize him .

as it happens first told the story of zippy chippy in 1998 , when he lost his 85th race . this tied him for the record for losingest horse in thoroughbred racing history .

but zippy chippy became a sideshow . in august 2000 he lost a 40 - yard dash to jose herrera , a centre - fielder with the triple - a rochester red wings .

zippy chippy wasn’t zippy , for despite his name he tended not to run a lot , although he wasn’t lame one hundred times he entered races . never did he win and sometimes zippy just stood still , and he would not begin the call would be “their off ! ” but zippy wasn’t off at all he’d look around as if to say , “let’s go back to the stall . ”

by losing 100 times in 100 career starts , zippy chippy cemented his legend as a loveable loser , a rogue whose face adorns coffee mugs captioned with “winners don’t always finish first . ”

owner and trainer felix monserrate , who has remained optimistic despite his horse’s career - long losing streak , said he would bring zippy chippy back to the three - county fair next year .

zippy chippy was born in april 1991 in upstate new york . he was eighth in his first race on sept . 13 , 1994 , at belmont park at 15 - 1 odds .

zippy earned a different kind of fame . in 100 starts , zippy won 0 . but winners don’t always finish first . watching zippy rack up his 0 for 100 record became such a popular pastime that stories about him on the blood - horse web site got more reads than stories about kentucky derby winners , and in 2000 people magazine voted zippy chippy one of the year’s “most intriguing characters . ”

on january 1 , 2015 zippy celebrated his twenty fourth birthday , he seems happy being the star at cabin creek and i can only assume has lasted a lot longer than that old horse van he was traded for . i had a two dollar win ticket on zippy chippy , that hung around for years , that of course , i can ' t find but i do have my original , first addition zippy chippy t - shirt from 2000 .

and then . . . he heard laughter . marisa was standing in front of zippy chippy , wagging her finger and telling him he’d been “a very bad boy , ” over and over .

zippy chippy runs no more . unless he wants to – say when he ' s at the far end of the corral and somebody shows up at the gate with something good to eat .

the 9 - year - old gelding finished third saturday in the eighth race at the three - county fair , extending zippy chippy’s record as the losingest horse in american thoroughbred history to 88 races .

zippy chippy , ridden by pedro carrasqual , finished seven lengths behind winner bidakeno in the $ 10 , 100 six - furlong race . the six other competitors were all 4 - year - olds .

zippy chippy turned 24 years old last month . the dark brown gelding and former western new york resident is stabled at the cabin creek farm — a kind of old folks home for thoroughbred racehorses .

zippy chippy ' s current home is at a farm called old friends at cabin creek , established 10 years ago in greenfield , n . y . , a quick run from the track in saratoga springs . well , quick for any horse but zippy . anyway , old friends , which is supported by donations , a few grants , and fundraisers , some featuring zippy , is home to 14 retired race horses , though capacity is supposed to be 12 . according to joann pepper , zippy chippy is among those ok with sharing space with a pal .

“after waving goodbye to his van , felix went into the barn as the new and proud owner of zippy chippy , a horse that had nowhere to go but up , ” humorist william thomas writes in “the legend of zippy chippy : life lessons from horse racing’s most lovable loser , ” his entertaining new book . “by way of offering his opinion of the trade , the horse immediately bit him . ”

until he was banished from finger lakes , things were pretty dull , but zippy came close to ruining his career on october 3 , 1995 when he finished with a rush to finish second in a five and one half furlong race , had the race been six furlongs , zippy chippy would just have been another horse . after his last finger lakes race , it was almost a year before zippy returned to massachusetts , at the three county fair in northampton , for his only start of 1999 . a new millennium and a new zippy chippy were on the horizon .

zippy chippy , the gelding who became famous for losing all 100 of his lifetime starts , has been retired to the old friends retirement farm ' s bobby frankel division in greenfield center , n . y .

thomas is an avid hiker . he was tramping through the finger lakes region a few years back when he stopped into a bar near zippy’s home track . the conversation turned to secretariat , the greatest of the greats . then , the bartender mentioned zippy chippy , the anti - secretariat .

a year later , zippy was still running . and he was still slow .

zippy chippy was born to father compliance and mother listen lady , and he can count northern dancer , man o ' war , bold ruler , and war admiral as some of his famous ancestors , it says .

zippy chippy finally won march 17 , 2001 , beating standardbred paddy ' s laddy in a match race at freehold raceway . later that year , he defeated rochester player darnell mcdonald in a 50 - yard sprint .

part of zippy chippy ' s problem could be that he doesn ' t get much work . some tracks banned him after he dawdled at the start of three races in 1998 at finger lakes in new york .

loss after loss , felix would defend zippy chippy . “say you have three children , ” he’d tell local sportswriters . “one is a lawyer , doing well . the other a doctor , very , very successful . but the third one , not so smart , so he’s working at mcdonald’s . what do you do , ignore him ? ” no , felix would say . “that’s the one you gotta help . that’s zippy chippy ! ”

thomas describes zippy chippy’s laid - back attitude towards life and sport in glowing terms , and uses the horse’s story to rail against a winning - obsessed culture that drives athletes to cheat and dope in order to get ahead .

he spent those two months training zippy to bolt out of he gate ; one more suspension — three was the limit — and zippy’s career would be over . it went better than felix could have hoped : every single time , zippy would break clear .

monserrate acquired zippy in a 1995 trade with his breeder for an old horse van .

if you want to see zippy chippy or any of his more accomplished neighbors at old friends , summer visiting hours are 11 a . m . to 4 p . m . , tuesday , thursday , friday , and saturday .

zippy may have been forced out of professional racing , but his fans loved him all the more for it . a new jersey contingent presented zippy with an enormous hallmark card .

zippy chippy will go down in history as one of the most famous thoroughbreds in horse racing history — for never having won a single race . one hundred races without breasting the tape . neigh , not one . zero . zip .

zippy , according to the post , continued to be a frequently uncooperative regarding his training .

so , in a way , it was fortuitous that zippy never won , blowen said .

charlie pierce is not known for going easy on athletes , and zippy was no exception .

when zippy was later beaten in a 40 - yard - dash by a minor league baseball player , monserrate chalked it up to zippy allowing his opponent to win , the post reported .

people magazine listed him among its most interesting personalities in 2000 . he has an entry in the encyclopedia of new york and now he has his own book — the legend of zippy chippy — written by his official biographer , canadian humourist william thomas .

it wasn’t for a lack of trying . zippy chippy , who has a habit of stalling at the start of races , led out of the gate and was neck - and - neck with second - place miner’s claim for much of the race .

the fair , where zippy chippy set the record for losingest horse last year , is the only track that hasn’t banned him from racing . years of losing , bad behavior and his habit of stopping at the starting gate have soured tracks on him .

writing a biography of a horse reveals some interesting limitations of the life - narrative genre itself . thomas frequently gets inside zippy chippy’s head , describing how his subject feels about racing , eating and taking it easy in a high - stakes world . either thomas is a telepathic horse whisperer and zippy chippy is the smartest horse in the world , or else the author has used a lot of creative licence . it makes you reflect on the fact that all biographers are probably just as imaginative with their subjects .

old friends founder and president michael blowen saw zippy almost win a race in the late 1990s .

shortly after a race on june 3 , 1995 , monserrate traded an old horse van with zippy ' s original breeder , for ownership of the horse . they would remain together for around 15 years , before monserrate sold zippy chippy , assured that he would spend his days at a retirement home for thoroughbred race horses , and what a fifteen years it was .

felix monserrate , schoeneman’s spouse , saw otherwise . he was a puerto rican immigrant , an incurable dreamer and a horse trainer who typically lost more than he won at the finger lakes racetrack in upstate new york . but his affections for zippy chippy were partly justifiable .

“stupendously , at the turn of this century , a racehorse by the name of zippy chippy became america’s greatest attempter . glorious was this horse in failure , tireless in the trying game . there was no winning , no cheating , no million - dollar contract for this remarkable athlete , because when all was said and done and put out to pasture , he was the great zippy chippy – a record - setting , always - struggling , full - striding scoundrel who became the best thoroughbred in professional racing at stealing people’s hearts . ”

zippy chippy did make some money with special appearances that drew plenty of fans , and in 2000 people magazine named him one of the year’s most intriguing personalities . today , he is retired , living out his days on a farm near saratoga , n . y .

trouble was , each mounting loss only boosted zippy chippy ' s cult following . he was banned from finger lakes racetrack in farmington , n . y . , in 1998 for failing to leave the gate three straight times , earning him a usa today cover story .

philadelphia - - he couldn ' t win in traditional horse races . he couldn ' t win against a minor league baseball player . and friday night , zippy chippy showed that he couldn ' t win when competing against other horses who have never won a race .

in 2000 , the same year he lost to the minor league player , people magazine named zippy chippy to its list of the year ' s most fascinating personalities . to his credit , the next year , zippy did beat another minor - league player , darnell mcdonald ( a former boston red sox outfielder who is now an outfielder with the new york yankees ) .

over three years , zippy ran 70 races at finger lakes , and the more he lost , the higher his star rose . but it was the race at finger lakes on june 23 , 1998 , where zippy really set himself apart : of the six other horses bolting out of the starting gate , zippy was not among them . the bell went off , but zippy chose not to hear it .

eventually , his jockey got zippy going , but it was more of a laid - back stroll .

so on the rainy november morning that felix’s 8 - year - old daughter , marisa , went missing , his heart was in his throat . she had grown up with horses all her life , and was oddly enamored of zippy chippy . felix ran to the stall .

michael blowen , founder and president of old friends in scott county , feeds carrots to zippy chippy on wednesday , july 18 , 2012 . the horse is on loan to the scott county center through the month of august . photo by greg kocher | staff gkocher1 @ urltoken

in his 86th race in september 1999 , zippy chippy broke the record for consecutive losses without a win . in his 87th race sept . 1 , he came heartbreakingly close to the winner ' s circle . he led all the way before being edged by a nose .

in a culture whose mythology is saturated with formulaic tales of greatness and achievement , the legend of zippy chippy is a subversive celebration of failure . thomas revels in his subject’s absolute lack of interest when it comes to living up to his potential . the author includes family trees showing zippy’s bred - for - perfection pedigree—he was related to secretariat , seabiscuit and a dozen other all - time great racehorses—which make zippy seem like the wayward , layabout son of a high - achieving family .

emily schoeneman could see what her husband couldn’t . what she saw in zippy chippy , an ornery racehorse with donkey - like ears , a taste for coors light , pizza and doritos , and with zero wins in 20 career races , was a colossal error in male judgment .

horse lovers everywhere can agree on one thing : that horses have a lot to teach us , whether it’s patience , responsibility , or in the case of the irresistible bay thoroughbred race horse named zippy chippy , that one should never give up . and always go out laughing .

after his retirement , zippy chippy did a short stint as an outrider pony at his home track , finger lakes in 2005 . after that he spent his day ' s with the monserrate family , who claimed he was family , until a deal was struck that sent him to cabin creek farm in greenfield , new york . cabin creek is affiliated with old friends a retirement farm for race horses in kentucky . zippy chippy , gained national attention in 2000 , when he made people magazines , list of most interesting personalities . in 2001 , zippy was involved in what were billed as a couple of " publicity stunts " , hey a guys gotta make a living .

so begins william thomas’ the legend of zippy chippy : life lessons from horse racing’s most lovable loser . the unusual biography takes us through the life of america’s most unsuccessful thoroughbred racehorse who , over the course of his 100 - race career , lost every single professional race he entered .

over time , the more zippy lost , the more famous he became . he had a cult following among racing fans , who continued to bet on zippy , still holding out hope that he might eventually win .

but at approximately 2pm et all eyes turned towards the post parade for race 2 . zippy chippy was going to post ! surprisingly the crowd was abuzz with talk of zippy . the majority of patrons at this small , fair track seemed to be well aware of the story unfolding before them . zippy received a warm round of applause as the post parade passed in front of the grandstand ( almost close enough to touch ! ) . as zippy ( in the orange silks of the # 7 horse ) approached the starting gate folks were clicking away with their cameras and jockey willie belmonte winked and said , "

" felix ' s groom owned zippy and wanted to get rid of him because he was moving to florida , " thomas said . " felix said , ' kill the zippy horse ? no way , jose . '

his owner , felix monserrate , has shared his tale of woe with jay leno on " the tonight show . " and zippy chippy himself appeared on the pages of people magazine . last year , the magazine named the horse to its list of the year ' s 50 most fascinating personalities .

the new york post reported that zippy was a rebellious and uncooperative horse when it came to training - and by the time felix monserrate traded his truck so he could have zippy , the horse had already lost 20 races .

despite all this , zippy often went off as the favorite in the pre - race odds , blowen said .

and zippy showed some spirit as he and red galloped together down a hill to the paddock ' s edge .

felix already had a scar on his back from zippy’s inaugural bite . a few months later , felix and zippy were standing in front of the horse’s stall , and when felix turned around , zippy grabbed his shirt by the mouth and dangled the trainer in midair . as felix flailed and yelled , his fellow track workers laughed and laughed .

after beginning his career amid high hopes at belmont park — home to the belmont stakes of triple crown fame — zippy chippy tumbled from lesser track to lesser track , until bottoming out in the horse - racing boondocks , where his owner planned to sell him to a slaughterhouse before monserrate intervened in 1995 .

zippy chippy lives today upon a lovely farm and there he doesn’t do a single living creature harm the people come to visit him and some of them conclude that zippy chippy is a joke , and i would find that rude if i could not image that somehow ziggy’s worked it out perhaps he chose to beat the game , then beat it in a rout he did not suffer injuries . he didn’t suffer fools he got himself tossed off the track because of racing’s rules which say a horse that doesn’t try cannot participate if ziggy figured that one out i think it would be great for zippy need not run these days , and still he gets to eat he lacks for neither food nor love , he is a horse complete

zippy chippy ( usa ) b . g , 1991 { 23 - b } dp = 10 - 5 - 17 - 2 - 0 ( 34 ) di = 2 . 24 cd = 0 . 68 - 100 starts , 0 wins , 8 places , 12 shows career earnings : $ 30 , 834

monserrate described this tactic as zippy wanting “to see the other horses out in front of him before he run . ”

zippy , however , was friendly toward monserrate ' s daughter marisa . after searching for the girl , who ' d disappeared , monserrate saw the eight - year - old being nuzzled by zippy in a stall , the post recounted .

why when other horses ran , would zippy choose to be the only one unmoved by dreams of mighty victory ? some said the zippy had not heart , and some said he was nuts . one theory had it that he was a fumble footed klutz . but what if zippy chippy had a bigger brain than most ? and if he knew winning was an empty sort of boast if all the winning did was made some wealthy guy make money ? and what if zippy found that idea sort of sad and funny ? and what if he thought , “well they’re gonna to feed me anyway . why work as if without the work i wouldn’t get the hay ? ”

“after waving goodbye to his groom and his van , felix went into the barn as the new and proud owner of zippy chippy , a horse that had nowhere to go but up , ” thomas writes . “by way of offering his opinion of the trade , the horse immediately bit him . just like that . ”

there , zippy was passed among owners and wound up in the hands of felix monserrate , a 52 - year - old trainer who traded his 1988 ford truck for the horse . felix knew zippy was a nonstarter — at 0 - for - 20 , his losses were unprecedented for a thoroughbred . but monserrate didn’t like the way zippy’s previous owner treated him .

in his book , thomas writes of the love between horse and trainer , even though zippy seemed to enjoy tormenting monserrate .

" the point is you don ' t have to come first to be a winner . zippy has proven that . "

a week ago , zippy chippy , running against a field with a combined record of 0 - 132 , finished second by a neck . it was the best result in the career of a horse which , earlier this summer , lost a 40 - yard dash to a minor league outfielder in rochester , n . y .

in may 2000 , people magazine named zippy among their most interesting personalities , and when zippy ran his next race — against a minor league baseball player named josé herrera — the national news media was there . zippy did not disappoint , losing a 40 - yard dash to the 27 - year - old center fielder for the rochester red wings in less than five seconds .

i enjoyed this book and found it humorous , but the story was heavily added with tales of other sports . while these were amusing and analogous to zippy chippy , it broke up the flow of the story a bit . any fan of the underdog , humor or sports will find reading this a charming way to pass the time .

all of this belies zippy chippy ' s pedigree . his sire , compliance , is a son of northern dancer , who won the kentucky derby and the preakness stakes in 1964 . his dam , listen lady , was a daughter of the stakes - winning buckfinder , who was sired by buckpasser , the 1966 horse of the year .

owner and trainer felix monserrate bought the new york - bred compliance gelding for $ 2 , 500 and earned $ 30 , 834 with him . zippy chippy , now 19 , finished second eight times and third 12 times in his long career . when he retired in 2004 , he briefly served as a track pony at finger lakes .

zippy was within reach of setting his own record : just two races away from notching the most losses by an american thoroughbred .

in 2001 , zippy was last in a seven - horse field in which all the other competitors had never won , either .

“time now for our weekly zippy chippy update , ” bill littlefield told only a game analyst charlie pierce in 2000 . “last week the little gelding , who couldn ' t , and never has , and no doubt never will , ran his record losing streak to 87 when he finished second at a county fair right here in massachusetts . ”

zippy’s next race was sept . 8 , 1998 . it was a chilly day , and the stands were packed — this race would determine zippy’s fate . he was placed in no . 2 position , and among bettors that day , he was a favorite .

and so within minutes loss number 100 was in the record books and zippy was unsaddled and heading back to the barn . . .

felix , typically , would not concede athletic superiority . zippy , he said , “let josé win to make him feel good . ”

during the finger lakes races , monserrate envisioned a dozen doughnuts waiting in the jockey room if zippy ever attained that elusive first win .

zippy chippy was born on april 20 , 1991 , in upstate new york . he was the great - great - grandson of bold ruler , who fathered secretariat , and his family tree included triple crown winner war admiral , man o’ war , northern dancer and native dancer , who alone sired 295 winning horses with a combined generated income of $ 183 million .

finally , zippy put felix down . “he’s a strong horse , ” felix said . “he can hold you for a long time . ”

zippy’s story is very much an underdog’s story , and i asked thomas what it is about the little guy that appeals to us . “i think it’s because we’re all little guys . felix always said people related to zippy . they presented him with cards saying , ‘keep going , zippy’ and ‘don’t ever give up , ’ or ‘zippy , i feel for you , i just lost my job today . ’ it was always about hope . and i can tell you , at the track on most days in those barns there’s more hope than hay . ”

while other horses won millions in their careers , zippy chippy lost 100 races and earned a paltry $ 30 , 834 in his 10 years of racing . this is despite the fact that some of his ancestors were such successes as war admiral , the 1937 triple crown winner , and northern dancer , who in 1964 was the first canadian thoroughbred to win the kentucky derby .

from his earliest days , zippy was his own horse . he never really took to harnesses or saddles . told to run in one direction , zippy went the other . he stuck his tongue out at strangers and loped while other horses galloped . he terrorized trainers yet charmed children .

the legend of zippy chippy is the perfect antithesis of all the bullshit self - help books and rags - to - riches stories that are lionized everywhere else . in a world where everyone on instagram is having a better life than you , it’s a refreshing reminder to just keep on marching—or , in this case , trotting at a leisurely pace—to the beat of your own drummer .

“felix saw a lot of zippy in himself , ” thomas said this week in toronto . “they were both stubborn . they both never quit , and yet felix was proud to be a trainer and zippy was proud to be a racehorse , he just wasn’t very good at it . ”

zippy came to hate training so much that he trashed the exercise barn , kicking out part of the track’s fence and smashing the electric box . if handlers found themselves late with zippy’s food , they’d skip delivery rather than risk his wrath . some would only feed him with a rake .

another : “keep trying . god knows there are millions of us who relate to your struggles . ” zippy’s professional record : 0 - 100 .

retired from racing in 2004 , zippy had a brief second career as an outrider’s pony at his home track , finger lakes in new york .

zippy is now 25 and resides at old friends at cabin creek , a thoroughbred retirement farm in new york state not far from saratoga springs .

‘he was neither a speedster nor a steeplechaser , not a long - haul closer or a railside racer . he was zippy chippy , a free spirit at large and far from the grind of greatness , not sweating but celebrating the small stuff of life . he was at all times a professional racehorse , thriving , indeed rejoicing , in a quirky little world of his own . ”

felix monserrate couldn’t curb his enthusiasm after trading his rattletrap ford van for the thoroughbred racehorse with the royal pedigree . yes , it was disconcerting that zippy chippy hadn’t won any of his first 20 starts . but monserrate chalked that up to poor training . he figured a horse whose family tree included man o’ war , native dancer and the father of the greatest thoroughbred of them all—secretariat—was destined to become as well known , perhaps even better known , than his famous ancestors . if ever there was a horse born to run , it was zippy .

always allowing red to eat first , zippy also refused to walk into a trailer for a summer trip to kentucky until his companion climbed on ahead .

" zippy got bumped hard twice but didn ' t go down and kept challenging black rifle for the lead before losing by a nose , " thomas said . " zippy ' s jockey , juan rohena , was screaming at the stewards booth , ' foul , foul , foul , call an inquiry . '

" the more people said zippy wouldn ' t win , the more felix said , ' he ' s going to win . you watch . ' "

it was raining on the august day when i visited old friends at cabin creek . the farm was beautiful anyway . it was chilly , too , but the horses didn ' t seem to mind . i found myself wondering out loud in the presence of pepper whether zippy chippy , reluctant race horse , laughing stock , butt of the jokes of a thousand railbirds , had at last found the perfect home .

" our mission is to provide dignified retirement and to raise awareness of racehorse needs , " says joann pepper . she owns and manages cabin creek with her husband , mark . they welcomed zippy chippy aboard in 2010 . negotiations to secure the horse took almost two years before monserrate settled for $ 5 , 000 , potential rights to a disney movie and the comfort of knowing that the animal was in good hands .

" well , 10 , 000 people showed up because zippy had fans , " thomas said . " as the crowd chants , " ten , nine , eight , ' somewhere around four or five , zippy starts eating the grass and must ' ve thought , ' man , this grass is really nice . '

felix thought that zippy’s performance and behavior were the result of poor training , but he underestimated the horse , who by turns was stubborn , playful and lazy .

zippy chippy earned over $ 30 , 000 during his career , finishing second eight times ( once by a head , in race # 87 ) and third 12 times . he came in dead last 18 times and next to last in 24 races . monserrate admitted to keeping his horse by entering in allowance fields , which feature better talent but don ' t permit horses to be purchased as is the case in claiming races .

since arriving in scott county on friday , zippy has not lived up to his reputation as a biting , ill - mannered cuss . he and his paddock mate , red down south , stick close to each other . never one to do anything first , zippy watched as red took the initiative to roll in the dust .

“they bumped along like that – the cocky , underachieving racehorse and his cockeyed , optimistic trainer … they were standing in front of the horse’s stall when felix turned to pick up a bucket , and zippy turned to pick up felix . the trainer found himself suspended in midair , yelling for help and flailing his arms around behind him , trying to get zippy to release him . zippy had picked him up by the collar and was holding him a foot off the ground . felix’s angry shouts at the horse to put him down were answered by the loud laughs of a few track people watching the two of them perform this shed - row slapstick act . the louder felix screamed , the more raucous the laughter of the bystanders , many of them workers now coming over from other barns . eventually zippy got tired of the gag and put his owner down . ‘he’s a strong horse , ’ felix said , now that his feet were back on terra firma . ‘he can hold you up for a long time . ’ forget man o’ war and bold ruler ; zippy chippy’s most influential ancestors may have been laurel and hardy ! ”

" he should have been better than he was , " explains thomas , adding that zippy ' s lineage includes famous racehorses northern dancer , native dancer and war admiral .

“not everybody can be a winner , ” zippy’s trainer would say . “he wanna run . he’s always ready to go . but he don’t always go too good . ”

“he had enough time to rub his itchy nose on the near pole , stop to catch his breath at the half - pole , and take a leak on the quarter pole before entering the stretch , ” thomas writes . “with number one on his silks and at number one in the program , zippy chippy , number one in the hearts of the faithful at trackside , had come in a disappointing last by four yards more than a football field . ”

other incidents weren’t as funny . there was the day zippy cornered felix in his stall for an hour . he held a monserrate relative hostage for nearly four hours . felix’s partner , emily , called zippy “a miserable thing who wants everything done for him when he wants it , makes faces , bites , kicks , and is not very intelligent . ”

on april 10 , 2004 , zippy made his 100th start at the three county fair in northampton , mass . he finished dead last and was retired in 2010 to cabin creek in greenfield center , n . y . , a satellite of the old friends organization . zippy finished second eight times and third 12 times , earning $ 30 , 572 .

“he was owned primarily by felix monserrate , who got zippy in a trade for a pick - up truck , and raced him throughout his entire career , ” pepper said .

zippy was eventually demoted from finger lakes to a fairground in massachusetts . his final loss came in 2004 . he broke from the starting gate , pivoted toward the grandstand and bowed to his fans , like roy rogers’ horse , trigger . after stretching his winless streak ( against horses ) to 0 - 100 , zippy retired to his stall for a nap .

a few minutes prior to post time zippy was the 2 - 1 favorite , but by the time the gates opened he was the 7 - 2 second choice . on the bullring

zippy was now also known as “cellar dweller . ” he got a 60 - day suspension , setting off protests in the sports pages and among fans . he was their underdog .

on march 17 , 2001 , which just happened to be st . patrick ' s day , zippy raced the appropriately named paddy ' s laddy , a harness horse in a match race at freehold raceway . after spotting the pacer an eight of a mile zippy ran down the standardbred to prevail by a head and notch the first victory of his career . in august of 2001 zippy headed another promotion , this time he raced humans . it happened in rochester , at the rochester red wings baseball stadium and involved player from the team . it seems there were three , roughly forty yard dashes , the first in true zippy fashion , he dwelt at the start and was soundly beaten . the other two he reportedly won .

" they ' re inseparable , they roll around in the mud and dirt together , " thomas said . " but zippy is still a star , bringing people to the farm .

old friends hopes to put together a fund - raiser using zippy ' s name . there ' s a plan to challenge volunteers to raise pledges and then have those volunteers ride a zip line at the mega cavern in louisville , a former limestone mine with 17 miles of underground passageways . the event might be called " zip for zippy " or some such thing .

felix was heartened , and offered yet another explanation for zippy’s late starts : “he just want to see the other horses out in front of him before he run , ” he said .

just a month before zippy ' s arrival , another new york - bred horse , red down south , was added to cabin creek ' s stable . the pair have become inseparable .

it’s not like zippy’s demeanor changed — he could still be cranky and mean , and his job performance wasn’t getting better . but for felix and his family , the horse was a keeper .

during his time with monserrate , zippy once held his owner off the ground by his shirt , and in a different instance spent 60 minutes cornering him in a stall , according the newspaper .

" felix grabbed him yelling , ' i don ' t want him to win this way . ' the inquiry was overturned , as most are , and zippy lost by a nose . "

" he comes out of the gate , turns to the crowd and almost does a bow before taking off , " thomas said . " zippy knew he was the star of the show .

and zippy is often called the " losingest horse in history , " but he can ' t take the futility record title . thatt belongs to thrust , who had 105 losing starts in the 1950s .

in the meantime , the public can come see zippy through august at old friends , where there are tours at 10 a . m . and at 1 and 3 p . m . each day .

zippy managed to lose most of those races under the guidance of his trainer , felix monserrate , who stuck with his horse even though others suggested he send it out to pasture , sopranos - style .

zippy chippy started his career at belmont park , he had some decent pedigree in his line and there probably was some expectation he would become a decent racehorse . his first seven races were on the nyra circuit , five at belmont and two at aqueduct , all maiden special weight races . his jockeys included the aforementioned mike smith , julio pezua , robbie davis , jose santos , jorge chavez and richard migliore . even when he shipped to finger lakes he had the services of kevin whitley and leslie hulet , two legends at the farmington oval .

monserrate would bear the scars from that chomping on his back for the rest of his life . ( in his never - ending quest to be a contrarian , zippy bit the back rather than the hand that fed him . ) those teeth marks would serve as reminders of the thoroughbred’s legendary stubbornness , a trait that would exasperate his trainer time and time again . but zippy’s desire to stop and smell the roses ( occasionally during races ) rather than run for the roses also would endear him to monserrate and the horse’s legion of fans . the more zippy lost , the more people loved him . he clearly didn’t subscribe to hall of fame football coach vince lombardi’s mantra that “winning isn’t everything ; it’s the only thing . ” in zippy’s case , winning was a never thing . and he was quite content with that .

" the thing was , zippy was felix ' s pet , which broke every rule of horse racing . but their lives were intertwined forever and zippy became the highlight of felix ' s life , " says thomas . " it was a wonderful sort of relationship about a man and a horse , neither of which was very good a what they did , but it didn ' t stop them from trying . "

last june , felix monserrate died from heart problems and pneumonia . he was 72 . one of his greatest wishes was to see zippy’s life , like other legends of the track , memorialized in the movies .

" it was at great barrington , mass . , and zippy ' s running , and he finishes second , " blowen said . " but there ' s an inquiry into the horse that won . "

“his name is red down south , and he ' s 12 , and the minute they got together , they became best friends , and they have not been separated since , ” pepper said . “so he ' s lucky . it ' s really the truest horse relationship that i ' ve ever seen . zippy loves red and respects him , and red looks out for zippy . it ' s beautiful . ”

and zippy actually has won . publicity stunts in 2001 included a 50 - yard dash win over rochester red wings baseball player darnell mcdonald and a victory in a race versus harness horse paddy ' s laddy .

monserrate was always able to look beyond zippy’s recalcitrance and shortcomings . “say you have three children , ” he explained . “one is a lawyer , doing well . the other , a doctor , very , very successful . but the third one , not so smart , so he’s working at mcdonald’s . what do you do ? ignore him ? course not . he’s the one who needs your help . that’s zippy . ”


furcifer lateralis , also known as the carpet chameleon or the white-lined chameleon , is a species of chameleon that is endemic to madagascar .

it was described in 1831 by john edward gray .

carpet chameleon

carpet chameleon <EOT> the carpet chameleon is a charming addition to the chameleon collection and ours ‘tamed’ quickly , allowing hand feeding and more interaction than the larger chameleons such as panther and veiled .

they live in carpet chameleon mainly on the island of madagascar . they can be seen in the woods , overgrown savannas , grasslands , plantations even .

the colors and patterns on this female furcifer lateralis lateralis might remind people of an oriental carpet .

according to international union for conservation of nature ' s red list of threatened species , many species of chameleon are endangered . some species that are considered in danger of extinction are the tiger chameleon , elandsberg dwarf chameleon , namoroka leaf chameleon and the decary ' s leaf chameleon .

hello all , i recently completed a detailed care sheet on how i keep and breed furcifer lateralis , the carpet chameleon . i hope it is helpful .

abate , ardie 1995 . chameleon profile [ chamaeleo lateralis ] . chameleon information network 1995 ( 18 ) : 15 - 16

as the structure of the chameleon ' s eye , allows the chameleon to have complete 360 degree vision around its body . this special adaptation , allows the chameleon to be able to hunt

carpet chameleons can easily climb branches but not smooth surfaces . a top is only necessary to contain food items .

carpet chameleons eat mostly small insects and grubs . the most popular foods for captive chameleons are crickets and flies .

genera & species : within the two subfamilies are nine genera and 171 species . a few examples — calumma parsonii ( parson’s chameleon ) , furcifer oustaleti ( oustalet ' s chameleon ) , brookesia minima ( pygmy leaf chameleon ) , chameleo jacksonii ( jackson’s chameleon )

house carpet chameleons in full - screen enclosures . provide each chameleon with a space at least 1 foot long , 1 foot wide and 2 feet tall . bigger enclosures are better .

my friend who has a store is selling a carpet chameleon . i want to make sure they have a good number of sources for info , and have a prinout of links to give to customers for further info before & after they purchase the chameleon .

the carpet chameleon is found in the mixed woodlands and forests of madagascar . it is arboreal ( a tree dweller ) . adults require a 18 " x 18 " x 36 " enclosure with branches .

10 . the american chameleon is not actually a chameleon . the american chameleon , or anole ( anolis carolinensis ) , is not a true chameleon , but a small lizard of the iguana family . it is found in the se united states and is noted for its colour changes . [ source ]

males are light green with a mid - body white stripe . females are dark brown to black with a mid - body yellow stripe and numerous white to multi - coloured spots , hence the name , carpet chameleon .

i ' m also in port elizabeth and picked up a chameleon . . .

the female chameleon then lays a clutch of around 20 eggs , although the exact number of eggs can vary from just one to nearly 100 . the chameleon eggs take from 4 - 12 months to hatch , depending on the chameleon species .

learn many facts about the chameleon , a wonderful creature with many remarkable abilities .

simulate a chameleon’s natural environment as close as possible . carpet chameleons like to bask in the sun , so give them the opportunity to do so , but make sure they have a shady retreat . never leave a chameleon in direct sunlight without giving it the opportunity of shade . otherwise they might get too warm .

the carpet chameleon comes from madagascar and is also known as jewelled chameleons because of its stunning colours . it is the female that sports the familiar eye pattern but the male can display lovely greens with shades of blue around the eyes and feet .

information on the jewel chameleon is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly .

carpet chameleons may hibernate for 1 to 3 months during the winter . after hibernation , keep adults well fed with a variety of vitamin / mineral enriched foods .

it is important to give a gravid female carpet chameleon high - quality food and supplementation during the initial period shortly after breeding has taken place . she most likely will go off food after her body becomes so engorged with eggs that she no longer has room .

and can grow to nearly 70 cm in length . parson ' s chameleon , also found in

team , ben . " description of chameleon color phases " accessed july 09 , 2018 . urltoken

carpet chameleon eggs should be artificially incubated in slightly moist vermiculite . a cool phase is needed during egg incubation : 25c for the first 45 days , 15c for 40 days , then 28c until hatching ( around 100 days following the end of the cool phase ) .

the largest chameleon is the parson’s chameleon , according to encyclopedia britannica . it can grow up to 27 inches ( 69 . 5 centimeters ) long . the madagascan , also known as the oustalet ' s chameleon , is also very large and grows up to 23 inches ( 60 cm ) long .

carpet chameleons will not drink from standing water so daily misting , or a dripping / splashing water source is necessary , e . g . waterfall . clean terrarium as needed .

, due to the large eyes and curled tail of the chameleon . chameleons are found throughout jungle and

prefer to be vegetarians . a chameleon will generally eat anything though including berries , leaves , fruits ,

like many chameleons , the colours are at their best when either displaying to a mate or rival . when the female is gravid the jewelled effect is most pronounced . environment and mood play their part and a basking carpet chameleon can exhibit combinations of deep reds , blues or black .

this is flim flam , a male furcifer lateralis lateralis , also known as a carpet of jeweled chameleon . smaller in size than a veiled or panther they can be housed in a smaller cage . if you can help it avoid buying wild caught ! seek captive bred or captive hatched .

carpet chameleon – a small family pet lizards . its easy to keep at home . small animal has an unusual variegated coloring . small size body ( about twenty centimeters ) . the backrest is slightly raised , has a small crest , which runs through the entire spine . the tail is long , curved . in the wild , the life expectancy of carpet chameleon no more than one year . but in captivity , he can expect to live twice , even three times longer . females differ from males in body coloring . the color scheme of female individuals is much brighter . chameleon size depends on the environment . for example , in the warm regions of much larger animals . another distinctive feature of the sexes is the tail of the chameleon . in males , it is a little thicker .

other chameleon species lay eggs that have an incubation period of four to 24 months , depending on species , according to the san diego zoo . the size of the chameleon predicts how many eggs she will lay . small chameleon species lay two to four eggs while larger chameleons lay 80 to 100 eggs at one time .

team , ben . " description of chameleon color phases . " animals - urltoken , http : / / animals . urltoken / description - chameleon - color - phases - 5111 . html . accessed 09 july 2018 .

team , ben . ( n . d . ) . description of chameleon color phases . animals - urltoken . retrieved from http : / / animals . urltoken / description - chameleon - color - phases - 5111 . html

if breeding was successful , the female carpet chameleon shows gravid coloration . a gravid female displays this coloration , hisses and possibly bites males even if she is carrying infertile eggs . after she lays eggs and has time to fatten up , reintroducing her to a male may still elicit a gravid , unreceptive coloration .

photos of a smith’s dwarf chameleon blending in when facing two decoy predators , a shrike and a mamba . photo by

the smallest chameleon has a special distinction . it is also one of the smallest vertebrates ever discovered . the leaf chameleon grows to just 0 . 5 inches ( 16 millimeters ) and can sit comfortably on the head of a match .

) , we recovered dates that are consistent with previously documented chameleon fossils . for instance , the age of the genus

a wonderful chameleon with wonderful colors and patters and now a wonderful care sheet to take care of them wonderfully . . .

water is very important to chameleon growth and health . they either slurp water up using their tongues or the inhale it .

wild - caught imports of furcifer l . lateralis can be found quite often in pet stores due to the number and wide distribution of this particular subspecies . be warned , however , that purchasing an adult carpet chameleon may not have favorable results . they may not live long if they are purchased too old or if there is a parasite issue .

the challenge of keeping and finally breeding carpet chameleons under captive conditions is both fascinating and worthwhile . sperm retention is common in all chameleons . it is possible that if a female breeds once , she can have fertile eggs clutch after clutch . technically , a female chameleon can breed for one season and still produce viable eggs for her entire life .

when a gravid female carpet chameleon is ready to lay eggs , a nesting site should be available . i provide a plastic container measuring 1 . 5 feet long , 1 . 5 feet wide and 1 foot tall placed in the bottom of the female’s enclosure . i position it next to her plant with a stick leading into the nesting site .

. then a chameleon’s green coloration is acquired by the blue light reflected by the iridiophores that goes through the outer yellow chromatophores .

when frightened , the chameleon can make a hissing sound . they can bite ( which is non - toxic and harmless ) .

embed this arkive thumbnail link ( " portlet " ) by copying and pasting the code below . < a href = " urltoken " title = " arkive photo - male jewel chameleon " > < img src = " urltoken " alt = " arkive photo - male jewel chameleon " title = " arkive photo - male jewel chameleon " border = " 0 " / > < / a >

a female carpet chameleon may dig several test holes . this may take days or hours to accomplish . leave her alone , and let her dig . do not remove her until she is finished covering her holes or returns to her branch for a length of time . she may return to the test holes repeatedly and cover only a few them . be patient .

source / reference article learn how you can use or cite the chameleon article in your website content , school work and other projects .

look for chameleon eggs to start swelling and sweating after four to five months . eggs hatch between five to seven months on average .

allow the female carpet chameleon to rest at least a week or two after egg deposition , and then reintroduce the female to the male in his enclosure . the female retains the active sperm and automatically fertilizes more than one clutch of eggs , so it is possible to have an impregnated female lay several clutches of fertile eggs without being exposed to a male for many months .

some chameleons display so many different colors that it is difficult to characterize them . panther chameleons from ambilobe are kaleidoscopic animals , they can display red , orange , yellow , blue , white and green colors at the same time . carpet or jeweled chameleons ( furcifer lateralis ) display a variety of colors . females of the species are often marked with purple , blue and white markings on a dark background . male carpet chameleons are usually green with blue , orange or white markings .

found in tropical rainforests , prairies and cities , where they live in bushes or trees . this chameleon has adapted to living around humans .

to bury her eggs to keep them safe and warm , the female chameleon first digs a hole in the forest floor in which to bury them . the hole can be from 10 to 30 cm deep , but the depth of the hole generally depends on the chameleon species .

) . each of these hypotheses results in specific patterns that we use here to assess support between diversification models for our target chameleon group .

) . we have clarified the range of these chameleon species . from the point locality data alone , we found that the range of the

carpet chameleons are the most common and plentiful species of chameleon found on madagascar , which is off the coast of africa . they live in varied habitats and favor humid areas in the central to southern regions , where most of the native population can be found . carpet chameleons have adapted to mountains , deserts and rain forest habitats , but they seem to be most numerous where there is ample humidity . there is little question that within reason most chameleons can adapt to varying temperatures , humidity and dryness , but the fact remains that they will only adjust to some semblance of their native environment . adaptability does not mean lizardkeepers should push the extreme limits of the chameleon’s environmental needs . all subspecies of furcifer lateralis are generally collected where humidity averages 70 percent or higher .

stuart - fox & moussalli ( 2008 ) . selection for social signalling drives the evolution of chameleon colour change . plos biol vol . 6 .

embed this arkive thumbnail link ( " portlet " ) by copying and pasting the code below . < a href = " urltoken " title = " arkive species - jewel chameleon ( furcifer lateralis ) " > < img src = " urltoken " alt = " arkive species - jewel chameleon ( furcifer lateralis ) " title = " arkive species - jewel chameleon ( furcifer lateralis ) " border = " 0 " / > < / a >

breeding your own insects as food will allow you to give your chameleon a varied diet . you will also have better control over the quality of food .

florio , a . m . , ingram , c . m . , rakotondravony , h . a . , louis , e . e . and raxworthy , c . j . 2012 . detecting cryptic speciation in the widespread and morphologically conservative carpet chameleon ( furcifer lateralis ) of madagascar . journal of evolutionary biology 25 : 1399 - 1414 . doi : 10 . 1111 / j . 1420 - 9101 . 2012 . 02528 . x .

differences in the colouring of a panther chameleon when it’s relaxed and excited , and its relation with the composition and distribution of the iridiophore nanocrystals . image extracte from

unfortunately , females of all chameleon species , especially short - lived ones such as furcifer lateralis , can breed with a potentially infertile male and not show signs of infertility until they have expired , and the eggs all turn up useless . i recommend all chameleon females breed with several males per season to ensure proper fertilization .

florio , a . m . , ingram , c . m . , rakotondravony , h . a . , louis , e . e . and raxworthy , c . j . 2012 . detecting cryptic speciation in the widespread and morphologically conservative carpet chameleon ( furcifer lateralis ) of madagascar . journal of evolutionary biology , 25 : 1399–1414 . doi : 10 . 1111 / j . 1420 - 9101 . 2012 . 02528 . x - get paper here

krysko , kenneth l . and louis a . somma 2017 . the status of two species of nonindigenous lizards in florida , the slender chameleon , chamaeleo gracilis hallowell 1842 and the white - lined chameleon , furcifer lateralis ( gray 1831 ) : a corrigendum . ircf reptiles & amphibians 24 ( 1 ) : 65–66 - get paper here

a chameleon’s tongue is not really sticky . it’s hollow and composed of three main elements : accelerator muscles , retractor muscles and the sticky tip , which is more like a toilet plunger . the tip hits prey hard and creates suction around it before the chameleon retracts it . because of this suction , the tip can get stuck on a feeder dish . irreversible damage can result . sometimes the tongue no longer retracts , and it atrophies or even causes death if the chameleon cannot be taught to be hand - fed .

on the long drive from ranomafana national park north to antananarivo , we stopped along national route 7 for this beautiful chameleon crossing the road , and moved him over to safety .

the chameleon can move one eye in one direction while moving the other eye in a different direction . it also has the ability to view its surrounding with nearly 360° vision .

although there are many fun and interesting facts about the chameleon , it is recommended by some to not keep them as pets because they are hard to care for in captivity .

wild - caught carpet chameleons are often heavily parasitized and stressed , frequently with short life expectancy . another problem with wild - caught specimens is the ease with which they mate . young females kept in crowded cages awaiting shipment will often mate too small , resulting in poor quality eggs and often a dead female .

such as pink , blue , red , orange , green , black , brown , light blue , yellow and turquoise , all so that the chameleon can blend in more easily .

many people believe the chameleon changes color to blend in with their environment . scientists disagree with this . studies have shown that mood , temperature , and light causes their color to change .

this chameleon is endemic to madagascar and is distributed in the east of the island ( florio et al . 2012 ) . it has a large estimated distribution of > 130 , 000 km² .

1 . almost half of the world’s chameleon species live on the island of madagascar , with 59 different species existing nowhere outside of the island . there are approximately 160 species of chameleon . they range from africa to southern europe , and across south asia to sri lanka . they have also been introduced into the united states in places such as hawaii , california and florida . [ source 1 , source 2 ]

carpets require the basic chameleon care , such as uv lighting , the correct delivery of water and heating , etc . i always recommend natural sunlight for health and best colours , if your location is suitable .

. this allows them to control the wavelength of the light reflected by the iridiophores and so , the colour . combined with the chromatophores , the different chameleon species can cover most of the visible spectrum of colours .

coming from various parts of madagascar , they are not restricted to one habitat or ecosystem . this means they are fairly tolerant of temperature ranges but the following are optimum : daytime between 25°c and 30°c , dropping at night by 5°c to 10°c . do not let the temperature fall below 12°c or rise above 32°c . the carpet chameleons may survive but they could become stressed .

also provide nontoxic plants ( such as a ficus benjamina ) , sticks of various sizes and vines , so they may feel secure . chameleons become stressed when they see other chameleons , even if they see one across the room . if you notice a chameleon stressing — changing to gravid or unreceptive colors , hissing or puffing up for no apparent reason — it may see its reflection or have view of a chameleon in another cage .

when you purchase any chameleon , please do the animal and yourself a favor : get a fecal check . it’s the only way to be completely sure the animal doesn’t have parasites . veterinarians can do this simple test . all you have to take to the vet office is a fresh stool sample . even a healthy - looking , active chameleon with a tight grip and strong tongue can harbor a fatal parasite load . parasites are commonly aggravated by stress , which can grow to unmanageable levels in a relatively short amount of time in captivity . even a very heavy load of parasites , if caught early in an otherwise healthy chameleon , can be treated and cured .

hatchling carpet chameleons can be kept in much the same way as the adults , but even more care should be taken to make sure the temperature and humidity are precise . hatchlings are very strong and usually eat voraciously in a day or two . furcifer lateralis subspecies grow so quickly that it is imperative that supplements contain a high - quality form of calcium to ensure proper growth of bones and muscles .

scheme of a chameleon’s skin section in which the iridiophores ( blue ) with nanocrystal layers and the different kinds of chromatophores can be seen ; xanthophores ( yellow ) , erythrophores ( red ) and melanophores ( black ) . image by

chameleons ( chamaeleonidae family ) are extremely cryptic lizards , as their coloration is usually very similar to that of their habitat’s . also , many chameleon species present the ability to actively shift their colours , making their camouflage even more complex .

as long as no aggressive behavior is present , a clutch of 10 to 15 hatchling carpet chameleons can be housed together in a screen cage measuring 1 foot long , 1 foot wide and 2 feet tall for no more than a month . after that time , keep no more than five hatchlings per cage . furcifer lateralis subspecies grow quickly , and adults require their own cage after they reach 3 months old .

changing skin color is an important part of communication among chameleons . according to the san diego zoo , a chameleon ' s skin changes colors in response to its emotions , such as anger or fear , changes in light , temperature or humidity .

] . to help alleviate this , we estimated chameleon divergence both ways and then assessed concordance . while the dates inferred using the nd2 molecular rate were generally older , the dates did not largely vary between analyses with respect to geologic period ( see

as we’ve just seen , the variety of colorations among the distinct chameleon species is huge . yet , their incredible abilities haven’t saved chameleons from being on the endangered species list , as many of them are in danger of extinction , mainly because of the destruction of their habitat due to the logging industry and because of poaching for the illegal exotic animal trade . we hope that with a better awareness of these spectacular and colourful lizards , future generations can still delight with chameleon colour shifts for a long time .

many chameleon species , including panther ( furcifer pardalis ) , jackson’s ( chamaeleo jacksonii ) and senegal ( chamaeleo senegalensis ) chameleons will display dark brown colors if they are cold , sick or stressed . other chameleons , including many of the stump - tailed chameleons ( brookesia sp . ) , always display brown or other earth tones that help them to blend in to their natural habitat . outstalet’s chameleons ( furcifer outstaleti ) , potentially the largest chameleon species in the world , usually exhibit grey or brown colors .

supply water to your chameleon twice daily in the form of a mist , spray or dripper . i use tap water in a hudson sprayer to mist my enclosures . a humidifier also helps to keep humidity in check . do yourself a favor and get the more expensive one with the auto shut - off . i use only distilled water in the humidifier . this keeps minerals from building up and causing the misting nebulizer to malfunction . make sure to wet the chameleon’s body as well as the plants in the enclosure .

2 . colour changing . most chameleons change from brown to green and back , but some can turn almost any colour . a change can occur in as little as 20 seconds . chameleons are born with special cells that have a colour or pigment in them . these cells lie in layers under the chameleon’s outer skin . they are called chromatophores . the top layers of chromatophores have red or yellow pigment . the lower layers have blue or white pigment . when these pigment cells change , the chameleon’s skin colour changes .

there are more than 160 sub species of the chameleon and they have a huge diversity when it comes to where they are located . some of those common areas include florida , california , hawaii , asia , sri lanka , spain , madagascar , and portugal .

] that offer possible explanations for the production of this biodiversity . in this study , we focused on four hypotheses that we consider the most likely candidates for diversification , based on our chameleon target group distributions ( e . g not montane ) and ecology ( see

carpet chameleons do well on a diet of medium - sized crickets , flies and other small insects . offer five to six gut - loaded feeder insects per meal . i generally feed my chameleons twice a week , and i allow the feeder insects to roam the cage freely . this forces chameleons to use their hunting abilities and keep their tongues strong . dish feeding is also an option , but there is a higher risk of tongue damage when using a dish .

the time period for actual mating can vary from a few minutes to more than an hour . the carpet chameleons should not be disturbed during this time . after mating has taken place , the pair pulls apart , and the female usually tries to escape the vicinity of the male . remove the female , place her in her enclosure , offer food and water , and let her relax . if the female doesn’t show signs of being gravid , try mating her again .

if you intend to breed carpet chameleons ( furcifer [ chamaeleo ] lateralis ssp . ) , please purchase only unrelated animals . some species are represented by very small gene pools , and extra effort must be made to keep these animals genetically divergent and pure to avoid genetic depression and hybridization . captive - bred or wild - caught furcifer lateralis subspecies mature and breed at the early age of 8 to 12 months , and they are subsequently gravid for the rest of their reproductive lives .

the chameleon is a very popular type of lizard due to the fact that it has the ability to change colors based on their mood . this also allows them to blend into the surroundings for safety . other factors influence color too including mating season and even the temperature around them .

the mating season for the chameleon can vary based on the time of year and the location of them . the sub species that is being evaluated will also influence that period of time . all chameleons lay eggs and that typically will occur in four weeks or less after mating takes place .

many people think chameleons change colour to blend in with their surroundings . scientists disagree . their studies show that light , temperature and mood cause chameleons to change colour . sometimes changing colour can make the chameleon more comfortabl . sometimes it helps the animal communicate with other chameleons . [ source ]

there aren’t many chameleons who can make their whole body red , but several types of panther chameleon display some red in their pattern . one exception is male panther chameleons from the east coast of madagascar , notably those from tamatave , who display bright red or orange coloration over their entire body .

chameleon owners need to be prepared to spend not only time on this creature but also money . the lizard is normally the most inexpensive part of startup costs . hidden costs include parasite checks , possible treatment , follow - up fecal checks , possible blood work , tests for bacterial infections and other expenses .

any animal that can change colours and look in two directions at once is worth learning more about . armed with a tongue you have to see to believe , the chameleon may be one of the coolest reptiles on the planet . here are ten things you may not have known about our lizard friend .

chameleons are famous for changing colors . they don’t do it to camouflage themselves , as is commonly thought ; they change color in response to temperature , stress level , reproductive state and mood . male chameleons are usually more boldly colored than females and usually display their most intense colors when confronted by another chameleon .

even when you are familiar with the various locations where the chameleon you may not see them . they do blend in exceptionally well to their surroundings . as a result you will have to try to focus on a given area and be patient to wait to see if you can make out the shape of one of them .

i have had much better luck breeding and maintaining healthier captive animals with a humidity higher than 70 percent . if humidity in the enclosure drops below 70 percent , a weekly deep hydration is necessary . even with a humidifier present i prefer this shower method . gently place the chameleon on a clothes - drying rack or plant in the shower stall . turn the shower on so a light , lukewarm rain falls on the chameleon for 30 to 60 minutes . in drier climates the shower method may be used twice a week or more . outdoor enclosures can be fitted with automatic mister systems , which reduce the risk of dehydration and make watering easier for the lizardkeeper .

chameleons are loners . in fact , most of the time females don ' t want males to even come near them . during the rare moments when the female is willing to be touched , the male will approach for mating . a brighter colored male chameleon is more likely to convince a female to mate than a duller colored male .

breeding only the strongest and healthiest chameleons adds to the future strength of the gene pool . all subspecies of f . lateralis are avid breeders . in my experience , once sexual maturity is reached , female carpet chameleons have produced a clutch every six to eight weeks . maturity can occur as early as 2 or 3 months of age . once bred , females lay between five and 20 eggs depending on the subspecies . generally larger subspecies produce more eggs than the smaller ones . eggs hatch in as few as five to seven months . they can produce upwards of 200 eggs in a lifetime .

the most obvious motive ( even if not the most important ) is camouflage . even if the standard coloration of most chameleon species is cryptic enough , in case of necessity chameleons are able to blend in even more with their surroundings . this helps them not to be detected by their prey , but mainly to go unnoticed by their predators .

the chameleon has a body that is wide and appears to be puffed up . they have a head that is narrow so you can see their shoulders from the front . they have wide eyes on the sides of the head and a tongue that is wide and long . they move from side to side when they walk with a gait that appears to be quite awkward .

this species , as with most other chameleon species , is strictly diurnal . they generally spend the early part of the day warming up their bodies by assuming a very dark coloration and exposing as much surface area as possible to sunlight . after they have reached the desired body temperature , they begin hunting for prey , an activity which usually lasts for the rest of the daylight hours .

5 . ballistic tongues that are 1 . 5 - 2 times the length of their body . chameleons feed by ballistically projecting their long tongue from their mouth to capture prey located some distance away . while the chameleon’s tongue is typically thought to be 1 . 5 to 2 times the length of their body ( their length excluding the tail ) , it has been recently discovered that smaller chameleons have proportionately larger tongue apparatuses than their larger counterparts . tongue projection occurs at extremely high performance , reaching the prey in as little as 0 . 07 seconds , having been launched at accelerations exceeding 41 g . the chameleon tongue’s tip is a bulbous ball of muscle , and as it hits its prey it rapidly forms a small suction cup . [ source 1 , source 2 ]

may contain chameleons in small terrariums . the main thing that creature felt roomy , comfortable . the bottom is littered with a thick ball of a special substrate . since the heat - loving animals , it requires special care . above the house your pet arrange lamps with ultraviolet radiation . daytime temperature should be about twenty - five degrees , the lamp can not use at night . daily moisturize the air in the terrarium . sprinkling the bottom wall of the water drops . this procedure is recommended in the morning . as feed , use of cockroaches , beetles . they also eat green food ( spinach , lettuce , dandelion leaves ) . insects can be purchased at a pet store . carpet chameleon eats a lot . so feed him every day . drink animals ordinary water . at the bottom of the cage , place a sustainable capacity in water . but as chameleons do not like to drink , you need to water them occasionally violently . the main thing is not to overdo . in the mouth , pour a few drops . for ease of use the syringe , pipette .

3 . chameleon eyes have a 360 - degree arc of vision and can see two directions at once . chameleons have the most distinctive eyes of any reptile . their upper and lower eyelids are joined , with only a pinhole large enough for the pupil to see through . they can rotate and focus separately to observe two different objects simultaneously , which lets their eyes move independently from each other .

the tongue is another interesting feature of the chameleon . the tip of their tongue is covered with a sticky secretion that grabs its prey . they can " shoot out " their long tongue ( which can be as long as their body ) and have their prey in their mouth in a fraction of a second ( faster than what the human eye can see ) . they can repeat this action immediately afterwards .

chameleons live in madagascar , africa , spain , portugal and asia in rain forests , savannas , semi - deserts and steppes , according to the san diego zoo . they typically stay in trees or bushes , though some species do live on the ground . for example , the horned leaf chameleon lives in dead leaves on forest floors according to the national wildlife federation . [ photos : 11 colorful chameleons of madagascar ]

no matter what species , chameleons become mature at 1 to 2 years of age . the exception is the madagascan chameleon . it has been labeled as the vertebrate with the world ' s shortest life span , according to encyclopedia britannica . their eggs hatch in november , the young become adults in january , they lay eggs in february , and then the entire adult population perishes after a lifespan of just three months .

a gravid female chameleon that does not like to be in the proximity of an amorous male usually exhibits unreceptive coloration , which is different from her normal resting colors . this beautiful display of color announces to the male that female does not want anything to do with him . yet some males will try to mount anyway , so to prevent unnecessary stress , it is advisable to remove a gravid female after mating has taken place .

carefully dig up the chameleon eggs , and place them in a plastic container with a sealed lid for incubation . i use a tupperware cupcake container without holes . the container should be filled halfway with damp vermiculite purchased at a garden center . mix in enough water so when it’s squeezed , a few droplets dribble off . too much water drowns the eggs . place eggs in rows 1 inch apart and half - buried in vermiculite .

although i believe chameleons should be in natural sunlight as much as possible , an indoor environment is fine for most animals . they require a full - spectrum fluorescent light and a heat dome light . i position the dome light so the highest point the chameleon can reach is no more than 90 degrees fahrenheit . ambient temperatures can range from 70 to 80 degrees . chameleons should not be able to touch bulbs , or burns can result .

chameleons are different from many reptiles because some of the species , like the jackson’s chameleon , have live births . these species can give birth to eight to 30 young at one time after a gestation of four to six months . while the young are born live instead of in an egg , they started as an egg . these mothers incubate the eggs , minus a shell , inside of her body instead of laying them in a nest .

is almost entirely insectivorous , and prefers insects which normally reside in trees or shrubs . these include most flies , grasshoppers and crickets , and various insect larvae . adult specimens are also known to consume very small lizards and even small newborn rodents ( in captivity ) . this species hunts for food in the typical chameleon style of slowly creeping through tree or shrub branches , using its excellent eyesight to spot insects . as the desired prey is selected ,

the chameleon tends to be a timid type of lizard and they will retreat rather than fight when they can . they are often kept as pets due to their calm nature and the fact that they can amazingly change colors . however , they can be tough to care for because they need the right balance of food , heat , and places to climb in order to really thrive . they are believed to be a very intelligent species of lizard .

also watch them for signs of overheating while in direct sunlight . chameleons showing dark green or solid black are basking . blanching , turning very light green , yellow or even white , indicates that the animal should be removed from the sun and given shade and water . a trip to the shower for “deep hydration , ” a watering method i discuss later , is a good idea for any chameleon found overheated , blanched or panting with an open mouth .

the main function of chameleons colour change is intraspecific communication . chameleons use different colour patterns known as liveries in some countries , which are changed in order to transmit information to other individuals of their same species like their stress degree , their reproductive or health status , etc… a chameleon’s standard coloration is usually similar to that of their habitat . so , this colour pattern usually indicates a healthy animal , while if they feel sick or have some physical problem , they usually present paler and duller colorations .

a total of 129 individuals belonging to furcifer oustaleti ( n = 89 ) and furcifer verrucosus ( n = 40 ) , collected between 1990 and 2012 , were included for analysis . the closely related species furcifer labordi , furcifer major , and furcifer antimena were included to test the sister species relationship of f . verrucosus and f . oustaleti [ 1 , 2 , 5 ] . furcifer campani was used as the furcifer outgroup taxon to root all phylogenetic trees . the following chameleon species were also included in the species tree analysis to estimate divergence dates : chamaeleo namaquensis , chamaeleo chamaeleon , furcifer cephalolepis , and furcifer polleni . these species are distantly related to the ingroup taxa , and were only included to allow for the fossil calibration in the divergence dating analysis .

another in the too - long list of chameleons which avoided having its picture taken . i guess i ' ll just have to go back to madagascar soon .

i went back , and i got pictures , just as promised . not exactly " soon " though .

these chameleons vary in appearance from beautiful greens and yellows to outrageously colorful patterns . this species does well in degraded habitat and is considered a " follower of civilization " .

here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs i saw on this trip to madagascar .

abate , a . , and abate , e . 2004 . the chameleons of madagascar ( dvd )

note : tdwg regions are generated automatically from the text in the distribution field and not in every cases it works well . we are working on it .

syntypes : bmnh 1946 . 8 . 22 . 12 - 13 ( 2 specimens ) . holotype : mnhn = mhnp 1921 . 269 ( lambertoni )

subspecies : florio et al . 2012 elevated f . l . major to species status without providing much detail . however , they do state that “brygoo’s ( 1971 ) description of f . lateralis major from tanandava , south - western madagascar , closely corresponds with the morphology of the southern group recovered in our study . these individuals have higher head casques and have a larger svl . ” klaver & böhme 1997 listed major as a synonym of f . lateralis .

andrews , r . m . , brandley , m . c . and greene , v . w . 2013 . developmental sequences of squamate reptiles are taxon specific . evolution & development , 15 : 326–343 . doi : 10 . 1111 / ede . 12042 - get paper here

angel , f . 1921 . contribution à l´étude des chamaeleons de madagascar . bull . mus . nat . hist . nat . , paris 27 ( 5 - 6 ) : 328 - 331 , 406 - 412 . - get paper here

barbour , thomas 1918 . vertebrata from madagascar . 2 . amphibia and reptilia . bull . mus . comp . zool . harvard 61 ( 14 ) : 479 - 489 . - get paper here

böhle , a . 2004 . eine reise durch das madagassische hochland . draco 5 ( 19 ) : 82 - 86 - get paper here

boumans , louis ; david r . vieites , frank glaw and miguel vences 2007 . geographical patterns of deep mitochondrial differentiation in widespread malagasy reptiles . molecular phylogenetics and evolution 45 ( 3 ) : 822 - 839 - get paper here

brygoo , e . r . 1971 . reptiles sauriens chamaeleonidae . genre chamaeleo . faune de madagascar , orstom et cnrs , paris 33 : 1 - 318 .

d ' cruze , neil ; annette olsonn , david henson , sunil kumar , and david emmett . 2009 . the amphibians and reptiles of the lower onilahy river valley , a temporary protected area in southwest madagascar . herp . cons . biol . 4 : 62 - 79 - get paper here

duméril , a . m . c . and g . bibron . 1836 . erpetologie générale ou histoire naturelle complete des reptiles . vol . 3 . libr . encyclopédique roret , paris , 528 pp . - get paper here

gehring , p . s . & witte , k . 2007 . ultraviolet reflectance in malagasy chameleons of the genus furcifer ( squamata : chamaeleonidae ) . salamandra 43 ( 1 ) : 43 - 48 - get paper here

glaw , f . & vences , m . 1994 . a fieldguide to the amphibians and reptiles of madagascar . vences & glaw verlag , köln ( isbn 3 - 929449 - 01 - 3 )

glaw , f . 2015 . taxonomic checklist of chameleons ( squamata : chamaeleonidae ) . vertebrate zoology 65 ( 2 ) : 167–246 - get paper here

gray , j . e . 1831 . a synopsis of the species of class reptilia . in : griffith , e & e . pidgeon : the animal kingdom arranged in conformity with its organisation by the baron cuvier with additional descriptions of all the species hither named , and of many before noticed [ v whittaker , treacher and co . , london : 481 + 110 pp . [ 1830 ]

gray , j . e . 1845 . catalogue of the specimens of lizards in the collection of the british museum . trustees of die british museum / edward newman , london : xxvii + 289 pp . - get paper here

gray , j . e . 1865 . revision of the genera and species of chamaeleonidae , with the description of some new species . ann . mag . nat . hist . ( 3 ) 15 : 340 - 354 - get paper here

krüger , jens 1999 . neue erkenntnisse zur faunistik einiger reptilien madagaskars . salamandra 35 ( 2 ) : 65 - 76 - get paper here

leptien , r . 2003 . getting started keeping chameleons . reptilia ( gb ) ( 26 ) : 11 - 14 - get paper here

lutzmann , n . ; kremer , g . ; van steendam , n . & flamme , a . 2004 . auf chamäleonsuche entlang der route national 2 von antananarivo bis an die ostküste bei ambila - lemaitso . [ madagascar ] . draco 5 ( 19 ) : 50 - - 55 - get paper here

necas , p . 2012 . im porträt : das teppichchamäleon , furcifer lateralis . reptilia ( münster ) 17 ( 95 ) : 34 - 37 - get paper here

necas , petr 1999 . chameleons - nature ' s hidden jewels . edition chimaira , frankfurt ; 348 pp . ; isbn 3 - 930612 - 04 - 6 ( europe ) < br / > isbn 1 - 57524 - 137 - 4 ( usa , canada )

neukirch , k . 2003 . versuche zur auswirkung verschiedener parameter bei der aufzucht von furcifer pardalis ( cuvier 1829 ) . chamaeleo 13 ( 2 ) : 5 - 9 . - get paper here

raxworthy , c . j . ; enrique martinez - meyer ; ned horning ; ronald a . nussbaum ; gregory e . schneider ; miguel a . ortega - huerta & a . townsend peterson 2003 . predicting distributions of known and unknown reptile species in madagascar . nature 426 : 837 - 841

rusch , d . 2003 . erfahrungen mit furcifer lateralis . chamaeleo 13 ( 1 ) : 19 . - get paper here

schmidt , w . 1985 . chamaeleo lateralis gray , 1831 . sauria 7 ( 4 ) suppl . : 025–026 - get paper here

schmidt , w . 1986 . über die haltung und zucht von chamaeleo lateralis ( gray , 1831 ) . salamandra 22 ( 1 ) : 105 - 112 - get paper here

schmidt , w . 1988 . zeitigungsversuche mit eiern des madagassischen chamäleons furcifer lateralis ( gray , 1831 ) ( sauria : chamaeleonidae ) . salamandra 24 ( 2 - 3 ) : 182 - 183 - get paper here

schmidt , w . 2001 . haltung und zucht von furcifer lateralis in mehreren generationen . mitteilungsblatt ag chamäleons 22 : 9 - 10 - get paper here

schmidt , w . ; tamm , k . & wallikewitz , e . 2010 . chamäleons - drachen unserer zeit . natur und tier verlag , 328 pp . [ review in reptilia 101 : 64 , 2013 ] - get paper here

van beest , piet 2004 . herpetologische waarnemingen op madagascar - deel 1 . lacerta 62 ( 2 ) : 48 - 55 - get paper here

van hoof , j . et al . 2006 . kameleons , een fascinerende hobby . lacerta 64 ( 5 - 6 ) : 1 - 96 - get paper here

this database is maintained by peter uetz ( database content ) and jakob hallermann , zoological museum hamburg ( new species and updates ) .

this species has not yet been classified by the iucn and is listed on appendix ii of cites ( 2 ) .

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one of the things that attract people to chameleons is their ability to change color . contrary to popular belief , chameleons do not change color to match the exact color of their surroundings . instead , their color changes reflect fluctuations in temperature and emotion , and these remarkably swift changes are believed to occur from a shift in hormones or a reaction by the nervous system .

a male furcifer lateralis lateralis ( pictured ) is less ornate than a female of the subspecies . .