Common Chameleon

Common ChameleonChamaeleo Chamaeleon

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The common chameleon is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.Although the common chameleon is not considered to be at risk of extinction, it's still threatened in some way or another. The biggest threat comes from when the chameleon's habitat is destroyed; through forest fires, the expansion of farmlands, urban development and tourist facilities. Additionally chameleons also face being caught and sold around the world as pets, often illegally.

I am a common chameleon also known as the Mediterranean chameleon, and have the broadest range of all the chameleon species. I'm native to northern Africa, southwest Asia and southern Europe. I also been found in parts of Italy, Portugal, Spain and the Canary Islands. You can find me hanging out where my normal everyday colors match my surroundings. This variety of habitats include trees, bushes, shrublands, orchards, gardens and low grasses.

The tip of my tongue is wet and shaped like a suction cup. When it smacks against my prey it sticks tight. I typically dine on insects: grasshoppers, flies, bees. wasps, ants, spiders. Some of us also eat fruit. other lizards and small birds.Beginning in late summer to early fall, females move to the grounnd to bury their eggs in soil. Females chameleons produce one clutch of eggs per year, averaging between 5 to 45 eggs per clutch. The eggs will incubate underground for 10 to 12 months, the baby chameleons with start to hatch from August to November of the next year.

I am one of the larger species of chameleons, growing 20 to 40 cm in length. I vary in color from green to dull brown, tan or grey, and have a remarkable ability to change color. I can change color with my surroundings for chamouflage, to regulate my temperature and to signal other chameleons. I have strong grasping feet and a prehensile tail, making me well adapted to living in trees and bushes. My eyesight is sharp and each of my eyeballs can turn in different directions, looking for the slightest movement. Once my eyes lock in on my target I shoot out my super-long tongue.