Chamaeleo laevigatus
Status: Least Concern
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Chamaeleo
Threat: harmless
Venom/Toxin: none
Description: It has a small body and is very slender. The basic coloration of the creature is bluish-green and has small scales.
Tags: chameleon
General Information
The smooth Chameleon is one of the most common of its species found in Zambia.
Length: up to 25 cm
Ecology and Behaviour
The smooth Chameleon will normally make hissing noises when it feels threatened and it can spit out saliva as a way t deter predators.
Diet
The smooth Chameleon is a carnivore that eats a variety of invertebrates, although large individuals may take geckos and other chameleons. The species is itself commonly preyed on by snakes such as the boomslang and the twig snake.
Reproduction
The adult female smooth chameleon lays 10-40 eggs in a hole dug in soil. The eggs take 10–12 months to hatch.
Conservation
It is categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a, " Least Concern ".
Trend: stable
Distribution and Habitat
Found mostly in the lowlands and even in human neighborhoods and settlements. The smooth Chameleon lives throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa and can be found in Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Zambia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Cameroon.
Interaction with humans
Culturally, the chameleon is one of Zambian’s most feared and misunderstood reptiles. They are considered to be bad omens, especially if you see one crossing the road. They are also locally thought to be poisonous and if you are bitten by one you will then turn into different colours (They are not poisonous, nor their spit and you won't change colours )
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