Furcifer labordi (Labord’s Chameleon) has the shortest lifespan of only 4-5 months. It also has the shortest lifespan of any tetrapod!
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.
Chameleons have a very poor sense of smell.
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!
Pygmy chameleons have bicuspid claws where each claw has two points like a crescent moon.
The word Brookesia is named after the British naturalist Joshua Brookes.
The word Kinyongia is from the Swahili word for chameleons: Kinyonga.
The word Furcifer is derived from the Latin word “furci” or forked.
Furcifer oustaleti (Oustalet’s Chameleon) is the longest chameleon species reaching lengths of 27 inches (68cm).
The word Rieppeleon is named after the scientist Olivier Rieppel.