Smooth Chameleon
- Chamaeleo laevigatus
- IUCN Status: Least Concern
- Threat: harmless
- Venom/Toxin: none
- Trend: stable
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Reptilia
- Order: Squamata
- Suborder: Iguania
- Family: Chamaeleonidae
- Genus: Chamaeleo
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General Information
The smooth Chameleon is one of the most common of its species found in Zambia.
Fun Facts!
Chameleons can move each eye independently. A common misconception is that Chameleons change colour to blend in with their environment when infact they do so to mirror their stress levels. Different patterns represent different health and stress levels.
Description
It has a small body and is very slender. The basic coloration of the creature is bluish-green and has small scales.
- 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 “.
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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