Adorable Moment Baby Chameleon Didn’t Realize It Was Already Hatched From Its Egg

• The owner had to help the baby get out of its shell, cutting the egg using cuticle scissors.
• The baby was still in its fetal position, its tail tucked over its shoulder.
• Panther chameleons are found in Madagascar, with the tropical forest as its natural habitat.

Canvas Chameleon is a pet shop in Reading, Pennsylvania that also breeds chameleons. They recently posted cute photos of one of their baby panther chameleons which just hatched from its shell.

In this baby reptile’s case, the shop had to help it get out of its egg because it failed to “pip” properly. Pipping is the term used to describe reptiles or birds breaking out of their shells using their teeth.

This baby chameleon, who was only seconds old when the pictures were taken, was still tucked in that fetal position, not realizing that it was already out of its egg.

Its eyes are still closed and its long tail is tucked over its shoulder.

Nick Henn, owner of the shop, explained that he had to help him out of the egg because he saw that it couldn’t go out on its own, since it didn’t pip correctly. He used cuticle clippers to carefully cut away the egg.

He explained that “if the egg pips on the side for some reason it can be difficult for the little one to push out as their head isn’t near the hole.” Some babies actually had to push out other parts of their bodies, like the yoke sac, and this resulted to their deaths.

In this case, he felt it was “necessary to play mother nature and give him a helping hand.”

The panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) is a species found in the northern and eastern parts of Madagascar and live in tropical forests. They were called as such because of the markings on their body – pardalis is Latin for “leopard” or “spotted like a panther.

The male ones can grow up to 20 centimeters long and the females grow up to half that size. The males also have vibrant markings than the female.

Henn started to breed and raise chameleons once he was out of college. His favorite is the panther chameleon. He monitors the eggs as they grow for seven to eight months. When it’s time to hatch, the baby inside slits the egg’s inner membrane using a special “egg tooth” on its upper jaw.

The baby pips the end of the egg near its head and then wiggles free. This can take up the whole day to unfold.