Feral chameleon populations around the globe

[PetNcs]

Chameleons inhabit naturally-autochtoneously three continents:

Africa incl. Madagascar and many off-shore Islands (vast majority of species)

Asia (from ear East to India and Sri Lanka) and

Europe (here only some eastern Mediterranean islands)...



Thanks to humans, they have been introduced to a series of countries, sometimes intentionally (for fun, for wild harvesting), sometimes as an incident (escapees, abandoned specimens after hurricanes or unwanted pets...) and in some territories, they were capable of building a more or less stable and reproducing populations, sometimes “thriving” and even expanding to other territories, and/or considered “invasive species”, sometimes not doing especially well...

Sometimes, finds of live or dead animals are reported (CZ: C. Calyptratus, T. hoehnelii; CH: C. chamaeleon; GB C. calyptratus misidentified as F. plus flight ardalis; Spain: Mallorca: C. calyptratus; Indonesia, Bali: C. oshaughnessyi, C. brevicorne etc.)



There is a (very likely yet incomplete) list of the known feral populations of chameleons:



Chamaeleo calyptratus:

FLORIDA, USA

HAWAII, USA (reported as eradicated already)



Furcifer pardalis:

FLORIDA, USA

MAURITIUS (maybe autochtonous)

REUNION, FRANCE (maybe autochtonous)

ANJOUAN, COMOROS



Trioceros jacksonii

FLORIDA, USA

CALIFORNIA, USA

LOUSIANA, USA

HAWAII, USA



Furcifer oustaleti

FLORIDA, USA

KENYA (extinct)



Chamaeleo chamaeleon

MEDITERRANEAN COAST, SPAIN

MEDITERRANEAN COAST, PORTUGAL

MALTA, GOZO

CRETE, GREECE (unconfirmed)

CANARY ISLANDS, Spain (unconfirmed)

SICILY, ITALY (unconfirmed)

APULIA, ITALY



Chamaeleo africanus

PELOPONNES, GREECE





On chameleons(dot)info, there is a special section on them in the section GALLERY: if you have an observation, please share...

 

[PetNcs]

Here some pics

https://www.chameleons.info/en/feral-chameleons-gallery/

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I've seen a total of 3 now in the "wild" in about 35 years of being back in Florida.
All 3 of these seemed to be released or escaped pets because all 3 were in the suburbs.
One in Dade county.
Two in Broward county.
So far, they aren't something you see on a regular basis.
So far.
They are too cool to find. I'm hoping that they never become anywhere near as common as green iguanas or Curly tailed lizards.
I like the rarity of them.

 

[PetNcs]

I've seen a total of 3 now in the "wild" in about 35 years of being back in Florida.
All 3 of these seemed to be released or escaped pets because all 3 were in the suburbs.
One in Dade county.
Two in Broward county.
So far, they aren't something you see on a regular basis.
So far.
They are too cool to find. I'm hoping that they never become anywhere near as common as green iguanas or Curly tailed lizards.
I like the rarity of them.

If you are speaking about Florida, you were simply not lucky.
There are hige breeding populations in Florida, you can easily see several tens of them in one night if yiou know where to look and where to go to. And, almost all are in suburbs or in the cities...

 

[ZEROPILOT]

If you are speaking about Florida, you were simply not lucky.
There are hige breeding populations in Florida, you can easily see several tens of them in one night if yiou know where to look and where to go to. And, almost all are in suburbs or in the cities...

I'm aware that down in Miami there are a lot of them in some old, overgrown orange groves. Unfortunately that's private property.
The whole area around Homestead off of Krome Avenue.... There is also another spot up further north. Also an area where someone once tried "farming" Chameleons and then more or less abandoned the project. This is also an area posted as private property. Though that doesn't deter everyone.
They're not at all widespread.
Green iguanas are very active and they used canals as highways and took this area over quickly.
Chameleons seem content living on one tree forever and they don't travel very far.
You can find them. And I do know where to look.
But their range is still extremely limited.
And mostly in southern most Florida.

 

[PetNcs]

I'm aware that down in Miami there are a lot of them in some old, overgrown orange groves. Unfortunately that's private property.
The whole area around Homestead off of Krome Avenue.... There is also another spot up further north. Also an area where someone once tried "farming" Chameleons and then more or less abandoned the project. This is also an area posted as private property. Though that doesn't deter everyone.
They're not at all widespread.
Green iguanas are very active and they used canals as highways and took this area over quickly.
Chameleons seem content living on one tree forever and they don't travel very far.
You can find them. And I do know where to look.
But their range is still extremely limited.
And mostly in southern most Florida.

believe me, I jave seem hundreds of feral chameleons in Fal and tjey are harvested i thousands and thousands...