In 1986, the family Chamaeleonidae was divided into two subfamilies, Brookesiinae and Chamaeleoninae. The English word chameleon ( / k ə ˈ m iː l i ə n/ kuh-MEEL-ee-un) is a simplified spelling of Latin chamaeleōn, a borrowing of the Greek χαμαιλέων ( khamailéōn), a compound of χαμαί ( khamaí) "on the ground" and λέων ( léōn) "lion". Etymology Mughal era painting of a chameleon by Ustad Mansur. They have been introduced to Hawaii, California, and Florida. Depending on species, they range from rainforest to desert conditions and from lowlands to highlands, with the vast majority occurring in Africa (about half of the species are restricted to Madagascar), but with a single species in southern Europe, and a few across southern Asia as far east as India and Sri Lanka. The arboreal species use their prehensile tail as an extra anchor point when they are moving or resting in trees or bushes because of this, their tail is often referred to as a "fifth limb". Chameleons typically are arboreal, but there are also many species that live on the ground. When hunting prey, the eyes focus forward in coordination, affording the animal stereoscopic vision.Ĭhameleons are diurnal and adapted for visual hunting of invertebrates, mostly insects, although the large species also can catch small vertebrates. Chameleons' eyes are independently mobile, and because of this the chameleon’s brain is constantly analyzing two separate, individual images of its environment. For some, it is more of a shift of brightness (shades of brown) for others, a plethora of color-combinations (reds, yellows, greens, blues) can be seen.Ĭhameleons are distinguished by their zygodactylous feet, their prehensile tail, their laterally compressed bodies, their head casques, their projectile tongues used for catching prey, their swaying gait, and in some species crests or horns on their brow and snout. The large number of species in the family exhibit considerable variability in their capacity to change color. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, being capable of shifting to different hues and degrees of brightness. Clockwise from top left: Chamaeleo chamaeleon, Calumma parsonii, Chamaeleo namaquensis, Trioceros jacksonii, Furcifer pardalis and Brookesia micraĬhameleons or chamaeleons ( family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015.
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