There are more than 160 species of chameleons. The main natural distribution is in Africa and Madagascar, and other tropical regions, although some species are found in parts of southern Europe, southern India and Sri Lanka.
Chameleons are masters of camouflage, changing their colour to blend in with their surroundings and even fine-tuning the colour changes according to the vision of specific predators – commonly birds and snakes.
Endangered species
Many species of chameleon are seriously endangered due to loss of habitat and being taken from the wild for the commercial pet trade.
Some countries, like Kenya and South Africa have voluntarily banned exportation of chameleons for the pet trade and others have legislation governing collection and exportation. The protection of chameleons falls under the regulation of international trade by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
CITES lists all chameleons, with the exception of a few species, on Appendix II which lists species that are “not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled”.
Habitat loss
Almost without exception, the natural habitats of wild chameleons are under pressure from rapidly expanding human populations.Trees that are home to chameleons are cut down to build housing and may be the only source of fuel for cooking and warmth in many developing countries. Forests are also cleared to provide grazing for cattle and crops like rice, which doesn’t provide an alternate habitat for arboreal animals like chameleons.
The pet trade
Habitat loss is undoubtedly the most serious conservation issue for chameleons, but the future of wild chameleons is also threatened by collection for the pet trade. Many thousands of chameleons are collected from the wild and exported to Europe, Australia and the USA every year – despite CITES. Many die in transit and few survive for more than a few months when removed from their natural habitat.
More information
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Find out more about chameleons on Wikipedia and about the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species on the CITES website.
On a lighter note
A passenger who tried to smuggle her pet chameleon into Britain by wearing it as a hat was foiled by customs officers. The 17-year-old walked into the baggage collection hall at Manchester airport with the creature perched on her headscarf after a flight from Dubai. Despite its ability to camouflage itself by changing colour, the chameleon attracted the attention of people at the luggage carousel. (from an article on the Telegraph website)
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Great pic – must congratulate the photographer (it’s not captive is it?).
I’m with you all the way on that. Chameleons and other reptiles should definitely NOT be kept as pets!
Thanks for joining the discussion ;-)
Disturbingly though, I’ve just been reading an article on ‘Red, Green and Blue’ that says “Korea’s Daewoo has just completed a deal to lease 1.3 million hectares of land in Madagascar for food production.” That’s not good news for already endangered chameleons and other creatures on the island. Please blog and tweet about it, to raise awareness.