The word Calumma comes from the Latin word for covering. This genus consists of chameleons from Madagascar with occipital lobes.
The word Bradypodion comes from the latin “bradus podos” or slow foot.
The word Brookesia is named after the British naturalist Joshua Brookes.
Some chameleons play dead to avoid predation; this is called thanatosis.
Chameleons do have taste buds on their tongue but overall they have a poor sense of taste.
Many chameleon species have a bright red, orange or yellow mouth. This conspicuous interior when displayed is used as a defense against predators.
Chameleons can project their tongue up to 2.2 times their body length.
The oldest known chameleon fossil is from the extinct species Chamaeleo caroliquarti. It was found in Europe and is 26 million years old.
Chamaeleo namaquensis is found in the desert of Namibia. To cool off it will sometimes bury itself in the sand.
Chameleon fossils have been found in central Europe and China, indicating they were once much more widespread than they are now.