The Indian chameleon (Chamaeleo zeylanicus) is a species of chameleon found in South Asia. Chameleons are best known for their distinct range of colors, being capable of shifting to different hues and degrees of brightness.
The Indian chameleon has bifurcated feet with a tongs-like shape, a prehensile tail, independent eye movement, and the ability to rapidly change skin coloring and patterns. The head has a bony casque, ornamented with crests or tubercles. The eyes are covered by thick, granular lids pierced with a small central opening for the pupil. No tympanum or external ear is present. The body is compressed, and the neck is very short. Males have a tarsal process or spur. The gular-ventral crest and the commissure of the mouth are white.
Indian chameleons are found throughout much of India south of the Ganges River, southeasternmost Pakistan, and parts of Sri Lanka. They inhabit dry tropical forests, mangroves, and shrubland. They also venture into desert areas but occur there only in oases.
Indian chameleons are diurnal creatures. They move slowly with a bobbing or swaying movement (attempting to mimic swaying branches) and are usually arboreal. They have an extremely long and sticky tongue, which they use to catch insects from several feet away. Despite common misconceptions, they do not change their visual appearance based on their surroundings or background, or even for camouflage, and may not even be able to perceive colour differences; rather, it is primarily for communication with others of their species, including to signify the receptiveness of a female (brighter patterns tend to show a willingness to mate) or submissiveness in general disputes (in territorial or male-female disputes, darker hues are often associated with submission, anger or desiring solitude). Additionally, Indian chameleons may change their colouring for controlling body temperature; they change to darker colours to absorb heat, or lighter to cool themselves.
Indian chameleons are carnivores (insectivores). They feed on a wide variety of insects including grasshoppers, crickets, and termites.
Little information is known about the reproductive behavior of Indian chameleons. They usually breed during winter months. Females lay between 10 and 40 eggs in a hole in the ground when they are incubated for about 3 months. The young are independent at birth and don't require parental care.
Indian chameleons suffer greatly from the loss of their native habitat due to the expansion of agriculture and human settlements as well as illegal logging for timber.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Indian chameleon total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
