Chameleons have a high midichlorian count.
Kinyongia uthmoelleri and Trioceros quadricornis gracilor have red claws.
Chameleon fossils have been found in central Europe and China, indicating they were once much more widespread than they are now.
Trioceros schubotzi can be found at elevations as high as 4500m.
The largest chameleon species by weight is Calumma parsonii (Parson’s Chameleon).
Furcifer labordi (Labord’s Chameleon) has the shortest lifespan of only 4-5 months. It also has the shortest lifespan of any tetrapod!
Chamaeleo namaquensis is found in the desert of Namibia. To cool off it will sometimes bury itself in the sand.
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.
The word Rhampholeon is taken from the Latinized Greek “rhamphos leon” meaning crawling lion.
The word Chamaeleo is derived via Latin from the Greek word khamaileon. It roughly translates to ground lion. Khamai means on the ground and leon means lion.