The word Bradypodion comes from the latin “bradus podos” or slow foot.
Chameleon fossils have been found in central Europe and China, indicating they were once much more widespread than they are now.
Many chameleon species have a bright red, orange or yellow mouth. This conspicuous interior when displayed is used as a defense against predators.
Chameleons can project their tongue up to 2.2 times their body length.
Chameleons do have taste buds on their tongue but overall they have a poor sense of taste.
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.
The word Chamaeleo is derived via Latin from the Greek word khamaileon. It roughly translates to ground lion. Khamai means on the ground and leon means lion.
Chameleons have a high midichlorian count.
Furcifer oustaleti (Oustalet’s Chameleon) is the longest chameleon species reaching lengths of 27 inches (68cm).
The word Kinyongia is from the Swahili word for chameleons: Kinyonga.