The word Bradypodion comes from the latin “bradus podos” or slow foot.
Pygmy chameleons (Brookesia, Palleon, Rhampholeon and Rieppeleon sp.) often resemble dry leaves, mosses and branches.
Some chameleons play dead to avoid predation; this is called thanatosis.
The horns on a chameleon are made up of ringlike segments of inner bone covered by a hard keratin-like skin.
Chameleons have a very poor sense of smell.
Chameleons have laterally compressed bodies. This enables them to warm up quickly by presenting a larger surface area to the sun. It also helps some chameleon species blend in among the similarly shaped leaves in their environment.
Trioceros schubotzi can be found at elevations as high as 4500m.
The word Rieppeleon is named after the scientist Olivier Rieppel.
Trioceros goetzei (Goetze’s Chameleon) emits an audible, high pitched whistle when threatened.
There are currently 202 recognized chameleon species and 85 of them are found on the island of Madagascar.