Chamaeleo

Chamaeleo; Temporal range:Early Miocene- present,26–0Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Chamaeleo calyptratus,veiled chameleon
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Chamaeleonidae
Subfamily:	Chamaeleoninae
Genus:	Chamaeleo; Laurenti,1768
Type species
	Chamaeleo parisiensium; Laurenti,1768
Diversity
	14 species

Chamaeleois agenusofchameleonsin thefamily Chamaeleonidae.Mostspeciesof the genusChamaeleoare found insub-Saharan Africa,but a fewspeciesare also present innorthern Africa,southern Europe,and southernAsiaeast toIndiaandSri Lanka.

Description

Species in the genusChamaeleoare slow moving, with independently movable eyes, the ability to change skin colouration, a long tongue, usually aprehensile tail,and special leg adaptations for graspingvegetation.Males are generally larger and more colorful than females. Almost all species have a maximum snout-vent length (SVL) between 15 and 40 centimetres (5.9 and 15.7 in).

Behavior

The vast majority ofChamaeleospecies arearborealand typically found in trees or bushes, but a few species (notably theNamaqua Chameleon) are partially or largelyterrestrial.

Reproduction

The genusChamaeleoincludes onlyoviparousspecies.

In captivity

With few exceptions, the chameleons most commonly seen incaptivityare all members of the genusChamaeleo;the most commonly found species in the pet trade (as well as through captive breeders) include thecommon,Senegal,andveiledchameleons, but all chameleons tend to require special care, and are generally suited to the intermediate or advanced reptile keeper.

Taxonomy

Chamaeleois thetype genusof thefamilyChamaeleonidae.

All othergeneraof "traditional chameleons" in thesubfamilyChamaeleoninae (Archaius,Bradypodion,Calumma,Furcifer,Kinyongia,Nadzikambia,andTrioceros) have at some point been included in the genusChamaeleo,but are now regarded as separate genera by virtually all authorities.

Extant species

14 species are recognized as being valid, andsubspeciesare recognized for some species.^[2]

Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
Chamaeleo africanusLaurenti,1768	African chameleon	Sahel, from Mali and Mauritania to Sudan, north to Egypt
Chamaeleo anchietaeBocage,1872	Angoladouble-scaled chameleon	Angola, DR Congo, Tanzania
Chamaeleo arabicusMatschie,1893	Arabianchameleon	southern Arabian Peninsula
Chamaeleo calcaricarensBöhme,1985	Awashspurless chameleon	Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, N Somalia
Chamaeleo calyptratusA.M.C. Duméril&A.H.A. Duméril,1851	veiled chameleon	Yemen and Saudi Arabia
Chamaeleo chamaeleon(Linnaeus,1758)	common chameleon	S Greece (Aegean Islands, Crete, Chios, Samos), Malta, S Portugal, S Spain, S/E Turkey, Cyprus, Italy (Apulia, Calabria), N Africa: Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sinai, Israel, Jordan, SW Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq
Chamaeleo dilepisLeach,1819	flap-necked chameleon	Congo, Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi (Shire Highlands), Namibia, Nigeria, Republic of South Africa, Eswatini, Botswana, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire; except in the north), Zambia, Burundi, Uganda, E Zaire, Tanzania (Pemba Island), Mozambique, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe
Chamaeleo gracilisHallowell,1844	graceful chameleon	Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Guinea (Conakry), Gambia, Benin, E Burkina Faso
Chamaeleo laevigatusGray,1863	smooth chameleon	Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, North and South Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Central African Republic, Zambia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Cameroon
Chamaeleo monachusGray,1865	Socotranchameleon	Yemen (Socotra Island)
Chamaeleo namaquensisA. Smith,1831	Namaquachameleon	South Angola, Namibia, Republic of South Africa
Chamaeleo necasiUllenbruch,P. Krause& Böhme, 2007	Nečas'flap-necked chameleon	Togo, Benin
Chamaeleo senegalensisDaudin,1802	Senegalchameleon	Tropical West Africa from Senegal to Cameroon: Guinea-Bissau, Guinea (Conakry), Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Mali, Gambia, Central African Republic, Mauritania
Chamaeleo zeylanicusLaurenti,1768	Indian chameleon	Sri Lanka, India (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Southern plains of the Ganges, Tamil Nadu, Telangana), Pakistan

Nota bene:Abinomial authorityortrinomial authorityin parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other thanChamaeleo.

Fossils

Image	Scientific name	Distribution
	†Chamaeleo caroliquartiMoody & Rocek, 1980	Czech Republic (Miocene)
	†Chamaeleo intermediusHillenius, 1978^[3]	Kenya (Miocene)

References

^Genus "Chamaeleo".ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). itis.gov.
^GenusChamaeleoatThe Reptile Database.reptile-database.org.
^Hillenius, D. (1978)."Notes on Chameleons IV. A New Chameleon, from the Miocene of Fort Ternan, Kenya (Chamaeleonidae, Reptilia)".Beaufortia.28(343): 9–15.

External links

http:// chameleoninfo /Species_Profiles.html

[1] Genus "Chamaeleo".ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). itis.gov.

[2] GenusChamaeleoatThe Reptile Database.reptile-database.org.

[Hillenius-3] Hillenius, D. (1978)."Notes on Chameleons IV. A New Chameleon, from the Miocene of Fort Ternan, Kenya (Chamaeleonidae, Reptilia)".Beaufortia.28(343): 9–15.

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