African Chameleon

Fascinating facts about the African Chameleon

• The African chameleon can reach a maximum length of 46 cm (18 in) and lives in dry savanna.
• While it looks much like the common chameleon, this species skips the flaps on the back of its head, giving it a smoother silhouette and a larger overall size.
• When an insect lands nearby, the chameleon extends its sticky-tipped tongue to catch the prey.
• A female burrows into the ground to lay up to seventy eggs, which incubate for about three months before hatching, and the youngsters need a year or more before they can reproduce themselves.
• The African chameleon is found from Mauritania and Mali across the Sahel to Sudan, and its range extends north along the Nile to Egypt and includes an introduced population in Greece’s Peloponnese.

At a glance

About the African Chameleon

The African chameleon, also known as the basilisk or Sahel chameleon (Chamaeleo africanus), is a strikingly slow-moving reptile that reaches up to 46 cm (18 in) in length, though most individuals average around 34 cm (13 in). Its laterally flattened body supports a large bony casque atop the head, bulbous eyes that swivel independently, and a prehensile tail that anchors it to the lower branches of trees, shrubs, and reeds such as Phragmites. Its limbs end in four-toed feet, each side of a branch equipped with a pair of toes that grip like tiny hands. The male sports distinctive tarsal spurs, while the overall coloration is a vivid green speckled with black spots, a palette it can shift dramatically to blend with its dry savanna surroundings. A surprising trait is its ability to project a sticky-tipped tongue at lightning speed, snatching insects from a distance that far exceeds its modest size. In the Sahel, from Mali and Mauritania across Sudan and up the Nile to Egypt, and even in an introduced enclave in Greece’s Peloponnese, the African chameleon lives a stealthy, arboreal life. It feeds primarily on insects, but opportunistically preys on small lizards and fledgling birds. Breeding females descend to the ground to lay up to seventy eggs in underground nests; after roughly three months the hatchlings emerge, embarking on a slow journey to maturity that can take a year or more. This blend of cryptic coloration, precise hunting, and a surprisingly prolific reproductive strategy makes Chamaeleo africanus a master of survival in the harsh, open savanna.

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