Vital Statistics
- Latin Name
- Chamaeleo Dilepis
- Length_F
- 120 - 140 mm
- Length_M
- 120 - 140 mm
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Chamaeleonidae
- Description
- A large chameleon with a continuous crest of small, white, triangular tubercles on the throat and belly. Colouration varies, from pale yellow through green shades to brown. The belly crest is white, and there is usually a pale bar on the sides.
- Class
- Reptilia
- Subspecies
- 5 - 6 species have been described, but only C.d. ruspolii from Somalia is well-defined.
- Distribution
- Found in tropical Africa, southwards to Kwa-Zulu Natal, Mpumalanga, northern provinces, Northern and Eastern Botswana, to the Northern Cape and Northern Namibia.
- Breeding
- Egg development takes 3 - 4 months. The female becomes bloated with 25 - 50 small eggs; she lays her eggs in summer. The eggs may take 377 days to hatch in the wild.
- Diet
- Insects, particularly grasshoppers and beetles.
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