There are currently 202 recognized chameleon species and 85 of them are found on the island of Madagascar.
Furcifer labordi (Labord’s Chameleon) has the shortest lifespan of only 4-5 months. It also has the shortest lifespan of any tetrapod!
Chameleons have a high midichlorian count.
The horns on a chameleon are made up of ringlike segments of inner bone covered by a hard keratin-like skin.
Chameleon fossils have been found in central Europe and China, indicating they were once much more widespread than they are now.
The word Bradypodion comes from the latin “bradus podos” or slow foot.
The chameleon tongue accelerates towards its target at over 1642m per second. Chameleons rarely miss their intended food item.
Chamaeleo namaquensis is found in the desert of Namibia. To cool off it will sometimes bury itself in the sand.
Some chameleons play dead to avoid predation; this is called thanatosis.
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.