The genus Chamaeleo covers many of the large chameleons, including the European and Indian species, although most of the species are found in East Africa.
Spawls, Howells, Drewe and Ashe give the following characteristics of the genus: prehensile tails; narrow compressed parietal bone; lungs with diverticula (blind passages).
Current taxonomy divides Chamaeleo into two subgenera, Chamaeleo and Trioceros. The entries in the tables below with a [T.] in the species name signify that the species is part of the subgenus Trioceros: otherwise it is a member of the subgenus Chamaeleo.
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 | ||
| C. affinis, Ruppell's Desert Chameleon | C. africanus, African Chameleon | C. anchietae, Angola Chameleon |
| C. arabicus, Arabian Chameleon | C. [T.] balebicornutus | C. bitaeniatus, Side-Striped Chameleon |
| C. calaricarens | C. calyptratus, Veiled Chameleon | C. [T.] camerunensis |
| C. chamaeleon, Common or European Chameleon | C. chapini, Grey Chameleon | C. [T.] conirostratus |
| C. cristatus, Crested Chameleon | C. deremensis, Usambara Three-Horned Chameleon | C. dilepis, Flap-Necked Chameleon |
| C. [T.] eisentrauti | C. [T.] ellioti, Montane Side-Striped Chameleon | C. etiennei |
| C. [T.] feae | C. [T.] fuelleborni, Poroto Three-Horned Chameleon | C. [T.] goetzei, Goetze's Chameleon |
| C. gracilis, Graceful or Slender Chameleon | C. [T.] harennae | C. [T.] hoehnelii, Von Höhnel's Chameleon |
| C. [T.] incornutus, Ukinga Hornless Chameleon | C. ituriensis, Ituri Forest Chameleon | C. [T.] jacksonii, Jackson's Chameleon |
| C. johnstoni, Johnston's Chameleon | C. kinetensis | C. laevigatus, Smooth Chameleon |
| C. [T.] laterispinis, Spiny-Flanked Chameleon | C. [T.] marsabitensis, Mount Marsabit or Tilbury's Chameleon | C. [T.] melleri, Meller's Chameleon |
| C. monachus, Monarch Chameleon | C. [T.] montium, Cameroon Mountain Chameleon | C. namaquensis, Namaqua Chameleon |
| C. [T.] narraioca, Mount Kulal Chameleon | C. [T.] oweni, Owen's Chameleon | C. [T.] pfefferi, Pfeffer's Chameleon |
| C. [T.] quadricornis, Four-Horned Chameleon | C. quilensis, Bocage's Chameleon | C. roperi |
| C. [T.] rudis, Ruwenzori Side-Striped Chameleon | C. ruspolii | C. [T.] schoutedeni |
| C. [T.] schubotzi, Mt Kenya Side-Striped Chameleon | C. senegalensis, Senegal Chameleon | C. [T.] sternfeldi |
| C. [T.] tempeli, Tubercle-Nosed Chameleon | C. [T.] tremperi, Eldama Ravine Chameleon | C. [T.] werneri, Werner's Three-Horned Chameleon |
| C. [T.] wiedersheimi, Mount Lefo Chameleon | C. zeylanicus | |
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.
Amphibians and Reptiles of North Africa, W Kästle, H H Schleich and K Kabisch, Koeltz Scientific Books, Germany 1996. Outstanding review of N African herpetofauna giving detailed account of each species.
Field Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa, Bill Branch, Struik, Cape Town 1998.
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