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Chameleons are a family of lizards found in Asia and Africa, and some surrounding islands. They range from tiny terrestrial lizards that can perch on the head of a match, to large, impressive tree-dwellers, and their habitats range from scrub and near desert to tropical rainforest, to cool montane rainforest.

Chameleons in general rely primarily on camouflage to survive in their environment, and the shape of their bodies, their broken up colors, and their way of moving, all reflect this. Not all species of chameleons are colorful. Many are only shades of brown or green, and in some, only one gender can produce bright colors, which are used to communicate with others of their kind, and advertise mood. Chameleons have no ability to deliberately change their colors to match their environment, but tend to have the same colors and patterns as their favorite perching plants; so, they seek out plants that look like them, rather than trying to look like the plants.

Chameleons are slow-moving animals, and highly aggressive toward others of their kind. When camouflage fails, their last defense is bluff and biting, which they do readily. Most species reach adulthood in only 4 to 6 months, and produce very large numbers of offspring. A common captive lifespan is a mere 3 years, which is longer than they generally live in the wild, though a few live-bearing species live longer. There is even one species that grows to maturity, reproduces, and dies in a single season, leaving its eggs to diapause through the dry season.

Their adaptation of living fast and reproducing in large numbers is probably the reason why chameleons are extremely delicate animals, and are best maintained in captivity only by experts.

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12y ago

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