Flap Neck Chameleon

© Graham Cooke.

Name

Flap Neck Chameleon [Chamaeleo dilepis]

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Chamaeleonidae

Subspecies

A number of sub-species have been described across its range

Length_F

120 - 140 mm

Length_M

120 - 140 mm

Description

The Flapped-Necked Chameleon is 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.

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

The Flap-Necked Chameleon preys on Insects, particularly grasshoppers and beetles.

Field Notes

Sex identification is relatively easy in the Flap-Neck Chameleon with the males having a broadness at the base of their tails and also have a spur growing out from the back of each hind foot.
Kruger National Park - South African Safari