Reptiles · Squamata · Chamaeleonidae

Parson's Chameleon

Calumma parsonii

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

Parson's chameleon is the bulkiest chameleon in the world: males exceed sixty centimetres and weigh more than half a kilo, with two nasal protuberances that give them a helmeted look. It is endemic to the humid forests of Madagascar. Its incubation is one of the longest of any reptile: the eggs can take more than a year and a half to hatch.

Weight

500 g – 700 g

Size

50 cm – 68 cm

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

RainforestIslandsInsectivore Diurnal Solitary Near Threatened Reptile Rainforest Islands

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Fun facts

anatomíaIt is one of the largest chameleons in the world and can take several years to reach full sexual maturity.
Its eggs take between one and two years to hatch, one of the longest incubations documented in a reptile: the female buries them and the young emerge from the ground after more than a full seasonal cycle has passed.
Its eyes move completely independently, each with a field of view of almost 180 degrees, and the animal processes two different images at once until it spots prey and both converge.
Its tongue shoots out at more than twenty times the acceleration of gravity and reaches its prey in a hundredth of a second, one of the fastest movements in the animal kingdom.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Primary humid forest of eastern and northern Madagascar
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: 500 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 40 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/