Graceful chameleon

Last updated

Graceful chameleon
Graceful chameleon.JPG
Chamaeleo gracilis
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Chamaeleo
Species:
C. gracilis
Binomial name
Chamaeleo gracilis
Hallowell, 1844
Chamaeleo gracilis distribution.png
Synonyms [2] [3]
  • Chamaeleo gracilis
    Hallowell, 1844
  • Chamaeleo burchelli
    Hallowell, 1856
  • Chamaeleo granulosus
    Hallowell, 1856
  • Chamaeleo simoni
    Boettger, 1885
  • Chamaeleon gracilis
    Boulenger, 1885
  • Chamaeleo gracilis
    Nečas, 1999

The graceful chameleon (Chamaeleo gracilis) is a species of chameleon native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is commonly around a foot (30.5 cm) long. Because of its abundance, it is heavily exploited by the pet trade. [4]

Contents

Geographic range

The graceful chameleon inhabits much of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west to Angola in the south and Ethiopia in the east. It mostly lives in forests, though it tolerates bushy areas near plantations and savanna. [4]

Description

C. gracilis is often green, yellow, or brown, with a green stripe on its side. [4] Although it is usually a foot (30.5 cm) in total length (including tail), it can grow up to 15 inches (38 cm) in total length. [5]

Behavior

The graceful chameleon is diurnal; it hunts for prey during the morning and evening, while it rests in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Males are very territorial, and often threaten each other with colorful displays. [4] It eats insects, [5] and can live up to 10 years in captivity. [6]

Reproduction

C. gracilis breeds twice per year, once in the dry season and again at the end of the wet season. [4] 20 to 50 eggs are laid per clutch. [4] [5]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. [3]

Etymology

The subspecific name, etiennei, is in honor of Belgian physician and entomologist "Dr. Etienne" who assisted the Congo Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Chamaeleo</i> Genus of lizards

Chamaeleo is a genus of chameleons in the family Chamaeleonidae. Most species of the genus Chamaeleo are found in sub-Saharan Africa, but a few species are also present in northern Africa, southern Europe, and southern Asia east to India and Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson's chameleon</span> Species of lizard

Jackson's chameleon, also known as Jackson's horned chameleon, three-horned chameleon or Kikuyu three-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon native to East Africa, but also introduced to Hawaii, Florida, and California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parson's chameleon</span> Species of lizard

Parson's chameleon is a large species of chameleon in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to isolated pockets of humid primary forest in eastern and northern Madagascar. It is listed on CITES Appendix II, meaning that trade in this species is regulated. While most chameleon species from Madagascar cannot be legally exported, a limited number of Parson's chameleons can be legally exported each year from its native country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African cuckoo-hawk</span> Species of bird

The African cuckoo-hawk, or African baza, is a medium-sized raptor in the family Accipitridae so named because it resembles the common cuckoo. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa and along the eastern parts of Southern Africa, preferring dense woodland and forest of either indigenous or exotic trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common chameleon</span> Species of lizard

The common chameleon or Mediterranean chameleon is a species of chameleon native to the Mediterranean Basin and parts surrounding the Red Sea. It is the only extant species of Chamaleonidae with a range that naturally extends into Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meller's chameleon</span> Species of lizard

Trioceros melleri, with the common names Meller's chameleon and giant one-horned chameleon, is the largest species of chameleon from the African mainland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flap-necked chameleon</span> Species of lizard

The flap-necked chameleon is a species of arboreal chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to sub-Saharan Africa. There are eight recognized subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies.

<i>Chilabothrus gracilis</i> Species of snake

Chilabothrus gracilis is a species of nonvenomous snake in the Boidae family. It is endemic to Hispaniola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall's pygmy chameleon</span> Species of lizard

Marshall's pygmy chameleon, also called Marshall's leaf chameleon, Marshall's dwarf chameleon, or Marshall's stumptail chameleon, is a species of chameleon found in the forests of Zimbabwe and Mozambique in Africa. It grows from 3.5 to 7.5 cm and feeds on insects. When standing still, it resembles a leaf on a branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petter's chameleon</span> Species of lizard

The Petter's chameleon is a species of chameleon, which is endemic to northern Madagascar. Furcifer petteri was initially described as the subspecies Chamaeleo willsii petteri by Édouard-Raoul Brygoo and Charles Domergue in 1966, but later transferred to the genus Furcifer and given full species status by Frank Glaw and Miguel Vences in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested chameleon</span> Species of lizard

The crested chameleon, Trioceros cristatus, is a species of chameleon endemic to Africa. The species was first described by Samuel Stutchbury in 1837.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African chameleon</span> Species of lizard

The African chameleon or Sahel chameleon is a species of chameleon native to the Sahel and Nile Valley, with an introduced population present in Greece. An average size may be around 34 cm (13 in) long, including its tail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smooth chameleon</span> Species of lizard

The smooth chameleon is a species of chameleon native to Africa. It is bluish-green and has small scales. Its body is very slender, and it looks similar to Chamaeleo senegalensis.

<i>Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia</i> Species of snake

Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia, commonly known as the herald snake or the red-lipped snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owen's chameleon</span> Species of lizard

Owen's chameleon, also commonly known as Owen's three-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to sub-Saharan Africa. Named after British naval officer and explorer William Fitzwilliam Owen, it was first described in 1831 by the naturalist John Edward Gray, and is the type species of the genus Trioceros.

<i>Kinyongia uthmoelleri</i> Species of lizard

Kinyongia uthmoelleri, known commonly as the Hanang hornless chameleon, Müller's leaf chameleon, and Uthmöller's chameleon, is species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four-horned chameleon</span> Species of lizard

The four-horned chameleon is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to highland areas in western Cameroon and southeastern Nigeria.

<i>Aristelliger praesignis</i> Species of lizard

Aristelliger praesignis, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

<i>Trioceros ellioti</i> Species of lizard

Trioceros ellioti, also known commonly as Elliot's chameleon, Elliot's groove-throated chameleon, and the montane side-striped chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is indigenous to Africa.

References

  1. Tolley, K.; Luiselli, L.; Niagate, B.; Penner, J.; Trape, J.-F.; Rödel, M.-O.; Segniagbeto, G.; Wagner, P. (2014). "Chamaeleo gracilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T172536A1344573. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T172536A1344573.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. ... Chamæleontidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I–XL. (Chamæleon gracilis, pp. 448–449 + Plate XXXIX, figure 4).
  3. 1 2 "Chamaeleo gracilis ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Graceful chameleon videos, photos and facts - Chamaeleo gracilis - ARKive". Archived from the original on 2013-06-19. Retrieved 2013-07-02.
  5. 1 2 3 Graceful Chameleon, Chamaeleo gracilis. Chameleon Facts and Images
  6. Ha Ha Reptiles: Graceful Chameleon
  7. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Chamaeleo etiennei, p. 86).

Further reading