Pygmy chameleons have bicuspid claws where each claw has two points like a crescent moon.
The largest chameleon species by weight is Calumma parsonii (Parson’s Chameleon).
There are currently 202 recognized chameleon species and 85 of them are found on the island of Madagascar.
The word Rhampholeon is taken from the Latinized Greek “rhamphos leon” meaning crawling lion.
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 word Calumma comes from the Latin word for covering. This genus consists of chameleons from Madagascar with occipital lobes.
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!
Chameleons do have taste buds on their tongue but overall they have a poor sense of taste.
The word Furcifer is derived from the Latin word “furci” or forked.
The word Brookesia is named after the British naturalist Joshua Brookes.