Many chameleon species have a bright red, orange or yellow mouth. This conspicuous interior when displayed is used as a defense against predators.
The word Brookesia is named after the British naturalist Joshua Brookes.
Trioceros schubotzi can be found at elevations as high as 4500m.
The largest chameleon species by weight is Calumma parsonii (Parson’s Chameleon).
Some chameleons play dead to avoid predation; this is called thanatosis.
Chameleons change color by rearranging a lattice of nanocrystals in one of their top layers of skin cells called iridophores. Chameleons can then stretch this layer, broadening the nanocrystalline lattice, thereby causing it to reflect a different wavelength of light.
True chameleons include the following genera: Archaius, Bradypodion, Brookesia, Calumma, Chamaeleo, Furcifer, Kinyongia, Nadzikambia, Palleon, Rhampholeon, Rieppeleon and Trioceros.
Chameleons can project their tongue up to 2.2 times their body length.
The word Rhampholeon is taken from the Latinized Greek “rhamphos leon” meaning crawling lion.
Pygmy chameleons have bicuspid claws where each claw has two points like a crescent moon.