Chameleons

There are two genera of chameleons: Chamaeleo with 70 species, and Brookesia with 16 species. Species Chamaeleo occur in Africa, Madagascar, southern Europe, and southern and southeast Asia. Species of Brookesia occur only in East and West Africa and on the island of Madagascar.

The European chameleon (Chamaeleo chameleon) is represented by a number of subspecies in a few places in southern Europe, and much more widely in northern Africa, southern Arabia, and India. The African chameleon (C. africanus) occurs from West Africa through Somalia and Ethiopia. The common chameleon (C. dilepis) occurs throughout subsaharan Africa.

Some Madagascan and African chameleons have long projections on their snout which are used by male animals during their territorial jousts. Examples of these unusual, horned chameleons are Fischer's chameleon (C. fischeri) and the mountain chameleon (C. montium). The most spectacular of the horned species is Owen's chameleon (C. oweni), which has three long, Triceratops-like horns. This species is only found in the lowlands of Cameroon.

Unlike Chamaeleo, species of Brookesia chameleons do not have a prehensile tail, and they do not undergo marked color changes. Examples of these stump-tailed chameleons are Brookesia superciliaris, B. stumpfi, and B. tuberculata, all found on Madagascar and several neighboring islands. Brookesia spectrum and B. platyceps occurs throughout subsaharan Africa.