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.
The word Calumma comes from the Latin word for covering. This genus consists of chameleons from Madagascar with occipital lobes.
The word Furcifer is derived from the Latin word “furci” or forked.
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 Kinyongia is from the Swahili word for chameleons: Kinyonga.
There are currently 202 recognized chameleon species and 85 of them are found on the island of Madagascar.
Pygmy chameleons (Brookesia, Palleon, Rhampholeon and Rieppeleon sp.) often resemble dry leaves, mosses and branches.
Some chameleons play dead to avoid predation; this is called thanatosis.
The word Brookesia is named after the British naturalist Joshua Brookes.
The horns on a chameleon are made up of ringlike segments of inner bone covered by a hard keratin-like skin.