Some chameleons play dead to avoid predation; this is called thanatosis.
The word Kinyongia is from the Swahili word for chameleons: Kinyonga.
Chameleons have a very poor sense of smell.
Furcifer labordi (Labord’s Chameleon) has the shortest lifespan of only 4-5 months. It also has the shortest lifespan of any tetrapod!
The word Bradypodion comes from the latin “bradus podos” or slow foot.
The process of shedding is called ecdysis.
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 largest chameleon species by weight is Calumma parsonii (Parson’s Chameleon).
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!
True chameleons include the following genera: Archaius, Bradypodion, Brookesia, Calumma, Chamaeleo, Furcifer, Kinyongia, Nadzikambia, Palleon, Rhampholeon, Rieppeleon and Trioceros.