chameleon

Meller's chameleon of the savannah of Tanzania and Malawi is the largest chameleon found outside Madagascar, about 55 cm/1.7 ft long. It feeds on small birds and insects, lying in wait on branches to ambush them. Its coloration makes it very hard to see among foliage.

A chameleon waiting for prey. Chameleons have excellent eyesight, and a sticky pad on the end of the tongue for catching insects.

A Madagascan chameleon. Half of all chameleon species are native to Madagascar. Their changes in skin colour are not solely to match the background, as the use of patchy colour and complex patterns is also an effective form of camouflage.

The carpet chameleon, from the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa. Approximately half of the known species of chameleon occur only in Madagascar, and some of them are very rare and poorly-known. Owing to the degradation of their natural habitat, as well as to their collection for the pet trade, they are vulnerable to extinction.

Any of 80 or so species of lizard of the family Chameleontidae. Some species have highly developed colour-changing abilities, caused by stress and changes in the intensity of light and temperature, which alter the dispersal of pigment granules in the layers of cells beneath the outer skin.

The tail is long and highly prehensile, assisting the animal when climbing. Most chameleons live in trees and move very slowly.

The tongue is very long, protrusile, and covered with a viscous secretion; it can be shot out with great rapidity to 20 cm/8 in for the capture of insects. The eyes are on ‘turrets’, move independently, and can swivel forward to give stereoscopic vision for ‘shooting’. Most live in Africa and Madagascar, but the common chameleon Chameleo chameleon is found in Mediterranean countries; two species live in southwestern Arabia, and one species in India and Sri Lanka.

Some species of chameleon, such as the African species C. bitaeniatus give birth to live young; the female ‘gives birth’ to a fully-formed young enclosed in a membrane, which is immediately shed.