Chameleons can project their tongue up to 2.2 times their body length.
The word Bradypodion comes from the latin “bradus podos” or slow foot.
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!
Furcifer labordi (Labord’s Chameleon) has the shortest lifespan of only 4-5 months. It also has the shortest lifespan of any tetrapod!
Chameleon fossils have been found in central Europe and China, indicating they were once much more widespread than they are now.
The word Calumma comes from the Latin word for covering. This genus consists of chameleons from Madagascar with occipital lobes.
There are currently 202 recognized chameleon species and 85 of them are found on the island of Madagascar.
The process of shedding is called ecdysis.
The word Furcifer is derived from the Latin word “furci” or forked.
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.