Flap Neck Chameleon
Name
Flap Neck Chameleon [Chamaeleo dilepis]
Class
Reptilia
Order
Squamata
Family
Chamaeleonidae
Subspecies
A number of sub-species have been described across its range
Length_F
120 - 140 mm
Length_M
120 - 140 mm
Description
The Flapped-Necked Chameleon is a large chameleon with a continuous crest of small, white, triangular tubercles on the throat and belly. Colouration varies, from pale yellow through green shades to brown. The belly crest is white, and there is usually a pale bar on the sides.
Distribution
Found in tropical Africa, southwards to Kwa-Zulu Natal, Mpumalanga, northern provinces, Northern and Eastern Botswana, to the Northern Cape and Northern Namibia.
Breeding
Egg development takes 3 - 4 months. The female becomes bloated with 25 - 50 small eggs; she lays her eggs in summer. The eggs may take 377 days to hatch in the wild.
Diet
The Flap-Necked Chameleon preys on Insects, particularly grasshoppers and beetles.
Field Notes
Sex identification is relatively easy in the Flap-Neck Chameleon with the males having a broadness at the base of their tails and also have a spur growing out from the back of each hind foot.
