Journal for Veterinary Medicine, Biotechnology and Biosafety
Volume
12, Issue 1, February 2026, Pages 22–29
ISSN 2411-3174 (print version) ISSN 2411-0388
(online version)
FEATURES
OF THE MICROSCOPIC STRUCTURE OF THE YEMENI CHAMELEON (CHAMAELEO
CALYPTRATUS) INTESTINAL
Kushch M. M., Skachko S. M.
State Biotechnological
University, Kharkiv, Ukraine, e-mail: dr.kushch@gmail.com
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PDF (print version)
Citation for print version: Kushch, M. M.
and Skachko, S. M. (2026) ‘Features
of the microscopic structure of the Yemeni chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) intestinal’,
Journal for
Veterinary Medicine, Biotechnology and Biosafety, 12(1), pp. 22–29.
Download
PDF (online version)
Citation for online version: Kushch, M. M.
and Skachko, S. M. (2026) ‘Features
of the microscopic structure of the Yemeni chameleon (Chamaeleo
calyptratus) intestinal’, Journal for Veterinary Medicine, Biotechnology and
Biosafety, 12(1), pp. 22–29. DOI: 10.36016/JVMBBS-2026-12-1-3.
Summary. Due to its attractive appearance and
behavioral characteristics, the Yemeni chameleon (Chamaeleo
calyptratus) is one of the most common reptile
species in home terrariums and zoos. Due to violations of the detention
conditions and feeding, pathologies of the digestive canal are quite common. At
the same time, detailed information on the structure of the intestine is
fragmentary and contradictory, making it impossible to develop adequate methods
for diagnosing and treating its pathological conditions. The microscopic
features of the intestine of 1‑year‑old Yemeni chameleons were
determined. Histological preparations were prepared from a cross-section of the
middle section of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, colon, rectum, and colonic
diverticulum, which were stained with hematoxylin and
eosin, as well as according to Mallory. Three membranes were found in the
intestinal wall of the Yemeni chameleon: mucous, muscular, and serous. Four
layers were found in the composition of the mucous membrane: epithelial, lamina
propria, muscularis
mucosae, and submucosa. The epithelial layer is
represented by a single-layered, single-row prismatic epithelium, in which two
main cell types were identified: border and goblet cells. Characteristic
structures of the intestinal mucosa were longitudinal folds that expanded the
intestinal cavity to process large, undigested food items (e. g.,
insects). In the jejunum and ileum, such folds had a thin wall formed by an
epithelial layer and a thin lamina propria, several
rows of myocytes, and contained a slit-like
cavity — a lymphatic sinus lined with endothelial cells. Given the
presence of significant lymphatic sinuses, a small thickness of the lamina propria and muscularis mucosae,
the submucosal base of the mucosa, the muscular
membrane, the jejunum, and the ileum are probably the sites of absorption of
feed lipids and water. In our opinion, specific structures similar to villi in
the intestines of mammals and birds are intercryptal protrusions (ICP),
which are bundles of epithelial cells between the mouths of neighboring crypts.
No crypts were found in the jejunum and ileum of chameleons. A feature of the
Muscular membrane of the intestine was a gradual increase in the relative
thickness of the outer longitudinal layer in the direction from the duodenum to
the rectum
Keywords: reptiles,
digestion, morphometric indicators
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