Added 10 July 2006.
A look at the Family Chameleonidae
Bradypodion
Dwarf Chamaeleons
Bradypodion are differentiated from Chamaeleo on the basis of hemipenal and lung morphology and genetics. This is a change introduced by Klaver and Böhme in 1986 (my thanks to Herr Nicolá Lutzmann for this information) and has been accepted for the most part, though not universally: Spawls, Howells, Drewe and Ashe, for example, included Bradypodion species under Chamaeleo in 2002.
As at the time of first posting this page, this is more in the way of a simple listing than a full guide to some or all of the species. However we will be adding to it over time. For further details, readers are encouraged to check out the books in the Bibliography.
| QUICK INDEX |
| B. adolfifriderici, Ituri Chameleon |
B. caffrum, Transkei Dwarf Chameleon |
B. carpenteri, Carpenter's Chameleon |
| B. damaranum, Knysna Dwarf Chameleon |
B. dracomontanum, Drakensberg Dwarf Chameleon |
B. excubitor, Mt Kenya Hornless Chameleon |
| B. fischeri, Fischer's Chameleon |
B. gutturale, Robertson Dwarf Chameleon |
B. karrooicum, Karoo Dwarf Chameleon |
| B. kentanicum, Kentani Dwarf Chameleon |
B. melanocephalum, Black-Headed Dwarf Chameleon |
B. mlanjense |
| B. nemorale, Zululand Dwarf Chameleon |
B. occidentale, Namaqua Dwarf Chameleon |
B. oxyrhinum, Uluguru One-Horned Chameleon |
| B. pumilium, Cape Dwarf Chameleon |
B. setaroi, Setaro's Dwarf Chameleon |
B. taeniabronchum, Smith's Dwarf Chameleon |
| B. tavetanum, Mt Kilimanjaro Two-Horned Chameleon |
B. tenue, Usambara Soft-Horned Chameleon |
B. thamnobates, Natal Midlands Dwarf Chameleon |
| B. transvaalense |
B. uthmoelleri, Hanang Hornless Chameleon |
B. ventrale, Southern Dwarf Chameleon |
| B. xenorhinum, Strange-Horned Chameleon |
|
|
| Scientific Name |
Common Name |
Distribution |
Size |
Notes |
| Bradypodion |
| B. adolfifriderici |
Ituri Chameleon |
Rwanda, Uganda, NE Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Max 15cm, avg 9-12cm |
Found in forest and woodland at 1,000-2,000m, where it lives in bushes and small trees. Details: casque slightly raised; no gular or ventral crest; males (and occasionally females) have dorsal crest on front third of back consisting of small pointed tubercles. Coloration: usually overall brown, greyish or green: when stressed, yellow or reddish spots may appear on the head. Reproduction: clutch of 3-4 eggs: no other details available. [SOURCE: SHDA] |
| B. caffer |
Transkei Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa (E Cape Province) |
|
|
| B. carpenteri |
Carpenter's Chameleon |
W Uganda, E Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Max TL 27cm |
|
| B. damaranum |
Knysna Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa (S Cape Province) |
|
|
| B. dracomontanum |
Drakensberg Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa |
|
Found in the Drakensberg mountain range. |
| B. excubitor |
Mt Kenya Hornless Chameleon |
Kenya |
|
Formerly a subspecies of B. fischeri. |
| B. fischeri |
Fischer's Chameleon, Usambara Two-Horned Chameleon |
Tanzania |
|
|
| B. f. fischeri |
Eastern Usambara Two-Horned Chameleon |
Max almost 40cm |
|
| B. f. multituberculatus |
Western Usambara Two-Horned Chameleon |
Max almost 40cm |
Found in Usambara Mountains. |
| B. f. uluguriensis |
Uluguru Two-Horned Chameleon |
Max 15cm |
Found in Uluguru Mountains. |
| B. gutturale |
Robertson Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa (W Cape Province) |
|
|
| B. karrooicum |
Karoo Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa (S Cape Province) |
|
|
| B. kentanicum |
Kentani Dwarf Chameleon |
|
|
|
| B. melanocephalum |
Black-Headed Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa (E Cape Province, E Natal), S Mozambique |
|
|
| B. mlanjense |
|
Malawi |
|
|
| B. nemorale |
Zululand Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa (Zululand) |
|
|
| B. occidentale |
Namaqua Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa (Namaqualand), SW Namibia |
|
|
| B. oxyrhinum |
Uluguru One-Horned Chameleon |
Tanzania |
|
|
| B. pumilium |
Cape Dwarf Chameleon |
|
|
|
| B. setaroi |
Setaro's Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa |
|
|
| B. taeniabronchum |
Smith's Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa (Cape Province) |
|
|
| B. tavetanum |
Mt Kilimanjaro Two-Horned Chameleon |
Kenya, Tanzania |
Max 24cm, avg 15-22cm |
|
| B. t. tavetanum |
|
|
|
| B. t. boehmei |
SE Kenya |
|
|
| B. tenue |
Usambara Soft-Horned Chameleon |
Kenya, Tanzania |
Max 14cm |
|
| B. thamnobates |
Natal Midlands Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa |
|
|
| B. transvaalense |
Transvaal Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa (Natal, Transvaal, Swaziland) |
|
|
| B. uthmoelleri |
Hanang Hornless Chameleon |
Tanzania |
Max 23cm, avg 15-20cm |
|
| B. ventrale |
Southern Dwarf Chameleon |
Republic of South Africa (E Cape Province) |
|
|
| B. xenorhinum |
Strange-Horned Chameleon |
W Uganda, E Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Max 27/18cm (m/f): tail 60% of length |
|
Bibliography
Chameleons: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual, R D and Patricia Bartlett, Barron's, 1995. A very useful introduction to many species of chameleon, including the best and most popular candidates for captivity (not necessarily the same thing!).
Lizards of the World: A Checklist. 5: Agamidae, Chamaeleonidae, Cordylidae and Gerrhosauridae, K R G Welch, KCM Books, Somerset, England, 1994.
A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa, Stephen Spawls, Kim Howell, Robert Drewes and James Ashe, Academic Press, 2002. Excellent field guide to the reptiles of the region.
Field Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa, Bill Branch, Struik, Cape Town 1998.
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