Pygmy chameleons are sometimes referred to as False Chameleons. This term is actually incorrect and is in reference to anoles, particularly the Cuban False Anole.
Some chameleons play dead to avoid predation; this is called thanatosis.
There are currently 202 recognized chameleon species and 85 of them are found on the island of Madagascar.
The word Bradypodion comes from the latin “bradus podos” or slow foot.
Chameleons can project their tongue up to 2.2 times their body length.
The horns on a chameleon are made up of ringlike segments of inner bone covered by a hard keratin-like skin.
The smallest chameleon species is Brookesia micra with an adult length just over 1 inch (29mm). It hatches from an egg no bigger than a grain of rice!
Pygmy chameleons have bicuspid claws where each claw has two points like a crescent moon.
Chameleons do not have external ears or a tympanic membrane, but they do have internal ears as well as degenerated middle ears. They do not hear well but they can detect low frequency sounds.
Chameleon fossils have been found in central Europe and China, indicating they were once much more widespread than they are now.