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.
Chameleons do have taste buds on their tongue but overall they have a poor sense of taste.
Chameleons have a very poor sense of smell.
Chameleons have acrodont teeth meaning they are an extension of the jawbone. They are not set in sockets nor are they replaced.
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 Calumma comes from the Latin word for covering. This genus consists of chameleons from Madagascar with occipital lobes.
The word Bradypodion comes from the latin “bradus podos” or slow foot.
Pygmy chameleons have bicuspid claws where each claw has two points like a crescent moon.
The horns on a chameleon are made up of ringlike segments of inner bone covered by a hard keratin-like skin.
Trioceros schubotzi can be found at elevations as high as 4500m.