Why it changes colour
Chameleons change colour mostly to show their mood and to warm up or cool down, more than to hide.
African rainforest
Chameleon
Chamaeleonidae
A slow-moving lizard with swivelling eyes, gripping feet, a curled tail and a skin that changes colour.
- Size
- From a few centimetres to over 60cm, depending on the kind
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Forests and bush across Africa, with the most kinds in Madagascar
Creeps after you, eyes turning, and changes colour as it goes. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Chameleon
Good to know
Six things about the chameleon
Two views at once
Each eye moves on its own, so a chameleon can look forwards and backwards at the same moment.
A tongue like a catapult
Its tongue can be longer than its body, and shoots out to catch an insect in a fraction of a second.
Feet like tongs
The toes are joined into two groups, so each foot grips a twig like a pair of tongs.
A fifth hand
The tail can curl tightly round a branch and hold on.
A rocking walk
A chameleon rocks backwards and forwards as it walks, like a leaf moving in the wind.
The real thing
Photos of the chameleon
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Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Look along thin branches at night with a torch: a sleeping chameleon turns pale and shows up clearly. By day, look for a slow, rocking walk.
How to help
Chameleons do badly as pets taken from the wild. They need their forest and bush left standing.
Keep going
More from African rainforest
‹ Grey parrotBack to African rainforestA to ZGoliath beetle ›