They have been introduced to Hawaii, California, and Florida.
They live in warm habitats that range from rainforest to desert conditions, with various species occurring in Africa, Madagascar, southern Europe, and across southern Asia as far as Sri Lanka. The use of their prehensile tail offers stability when they are moving or resting while on a branch in the canopy because of this, their tail is often referred to as a "fifth limb." Another character that is advantageous for being arboreal is how laterally compressed their bodies are it is important for them to distribute their weight as evenly as possible as it confers stability on twigs and branches in the trees. Ĭhameleons are adapted for climbing and visual hunting. The eyes are able to move laterally 180° and vertically 160°. When hunting prey, they focus forward in coordination, affording the animal stereoscopic vision. Chameleons' eyes are independently mobile, and because of this there are two separate, individual images that the brain is analyzing of the chameleon’s environment.
For some, it is more of a shift of brightness (shades of brown) whereas others it is a plethora of combinations of colors (reds, yellows, greens, and blues).Ĭhameleons are distinguished by their zygodactylous feet, their prehensile tail, their laterally compressed bodies, their head casques, their projectile tongues, their swaying gait, and crests or horns on their brow and snout. Because of the large number of species in their family, there is a large variability in their ability to change color. The members of this family are most known for their distinct range of colors as they are able to shift in different hues and brightness. Chameleons or chamaeleons ( family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015.
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