Veiled chameleon

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Veiled chameleon
Chamaeleo calyptratus female.jpg
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Chamaeleo
Species: C. calyptratus
Binomial name
Chamaeleo calyptratus
Duméril & Bibron, 1851
Chamaeleo calyptratus distribution.png

The veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) is a species of chameleon native to the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Other common names include cone-head chameleon and Yemen chameleon.[1]


The male is 43 to 61 centimeters long from the snout to the tip of the tail. The female is shorter, no more than about 35 centimeters, but it has a thicker body. Both sexes have a casque on the head which grows larger as the chameleon matures, reaching about 5 centimeters in the largest adults. Newly hatched young are pastel green in color and develop stripes as they grow. Adult females are green with white, orange, yellow, or tan mottling. Adult males are brighter with more defined bands of yellow or blue and some mottling.[2]

Coloration can be affected by several factors, including social status. In experimental conditions, young veiled chameleons reared in isolation are darker and duller in color that those raised with other individuals.[3] Females change color across their reproductive cycles.[4] Chameleons also change color when stressed.[2]

Behavior and ecology[edit]

This chameleon lives in a number of habitat types in its native range, including plateaus, mountains, and valleys. Like other chameleons, it is arboreal, living in trees and other large plants. It prefers warmer temperatures, generally between 75° to 95°F (24° to 35°C).[2]

The veiled chameleon is an omnivore. It favors insects, and it also eats plant matter, especially as a source of water.[2]



In captivity[edit]


Invasive species[edit]




  2. ^ a b c d e f Veiled Chameleon. Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

External links[edit]

Further reading[edit]