The word Furcifer is derived from the Latin word “furci” or forked.
Chameleons have a very poor sense of smell.
Trioceros goetzei (Goetze’s Chameleon) emits an audible, high pitched whistle when threatened.
Chameleons can project their tongue up to 2.2 times their body length.
The horns on a chameleon are made up of ringlike segments of inner bone covered by a hard keratin-like skin.
Furcifer oustaleti (Oustalet’s Chameleon) is the longest chameleon species reaching lengths of 27 inches (68cm).
Chameleon fossils have been found in central Europe and China, indicating they were once much more widespread than they are now.
Chameleons do not have external ears or a tympanic membrane, but they do have internal ears as well as degenerated middle ears. They do not hear well but they can detect low frequency sounds.
The largest chameleon species by weight is Calumma parsonii (Parson’s Chameleon).
The smallest chameleon species is Brookesia micra with an adult length just over 1 inch (29mm). It hatches from an egg no bigger than a grain of rice!