Chamaeleo namaquensis is found in the desert of Namibia. To cool off it will sometimes bury itself in the sand.
Chameleons have a high midichlorian count.
Trioceros schubotzi can be found at elevations as high as 4500m.
Chameleons have laterally compressed bodies. This enables them to warm up quickly by presenting a larger surface area to the sun. It also helps some chameleon species blend in among the similarly shaped leaves in their environment.
There are currently 202 recognized chameleon species and 85 of them are found on the island of Madagascar.
Furcifer labordi (Labord’s Chameleon) has the shortest lifespan of only 4-5 months. It also has the shortest lifespan of any tetrapod!
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.
The word Rieppeleon is named after the scientist Olivier Rieppel.
The word Rhampholeon is taken from the Latinized Greek “rhamphos leon” meaning crawling lion.
Kinyongia uthmoelleri and Trioceros quadricornis gracilor have red claws.