Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus): Facts and Habitat

What does a veiled chameleon look like?

The most striking feature is the casque, a thin, upright crest of bone and skin that rises from the back of the head like a pointed hood. It is tiny in hatchlings and grows with age; in large males it can reach about 5 cm (2 in) in height, while females have a much lower casque. The species name calyptratus comes from a Greek word meaning “veiled” or “covered,” and other common names include Yemen chameleon and cone-head chameleon.

The body is flattened from side to side, with a low crest of cone-shaped scales along the back and another, longer row of cones on the throat. Like other chameleons, the veiled chameleon has turret eyes, a prehensile tail that wraps around branches, and feet in which the toes are fused into two opposing bundles that close on a twig like tongs.

Hatchlings are a plain pastel green. Adult males develop bold vertical bands of yellow or gold on a green or turquoise body, often with orange, blue and black markings. Adult females are green with white, tan, orange or yellow mottling. A reliable way to tell the sexes apart, even in newly hatched young, is a small spur on the heel of each hind foot, which only males have.

How big do veiled chameleons get?

The veiled chameleon is one of the larger chameleons, although it is outsized by giants from Madagascar such as Oustalet’s chameleon.

Weights published for veiled chameleons come mostly from captive animals. Adult males usually weigh somewhere around 90–180 g (3–6 oz), and females are lighter. Wild animals vary too: chameleons from different parts of the range differ in size and color, and northern forms are often described as larger and more colorful than southern ones.

Two subspecies are often listed: the typical veiled chameleon and the short-casqued form C. c. calcarifer from the southern Saudi Arabian highlands, whose casque is noticeably lower.

Habitat and range

In the wild, veiled chameleons live only in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, in western Yemen and the neighboring southwest of Saudi Arabia. They occupy a surprising variety of landscapes there: dry, sparsely vegetated plateaus, wadis (seasonal river valleys), the foot of the escarpment and greener, rainier mountain slopes.

Most of the day is spent in acacias, euphorbias and other shrubs and small trees, often 1–3 m (3–10 ft) above the ground. Veiled chameleons also live in gardens and on cultivated plants, and they prefer warm conditions, roughly 24–35 °C (75–95 °F). Compared with many chameleons, they tolerate a wide range of temperatures and fairly dry air, which helps explain how well they survive in captivity and as introduced animals.

Escaped and released pets have founded wild populations outside Arabia. A breeding population is established on Maui in Hawaii, and the species is also established in parts of Florida, which is covered in our guide to lizards in Florida.

What do veiled chameleons eat?

Veiled chameleons are mainly insectivores. They sit still on a branch, scan for movement with their independently moving eyes, then fix both eyes on the target before striking. Prey includes grasshoppers, flies, beetles, caterpillars and other invertebrates. Large adults will occasionally catch small vertebrates; in Hawaii, they have been recorded eating small geckos as well as native insects.

The catch is made with a ballistic tongue that can stretch to more than the length of the body and shoots out in a fraction of a second. Our article on how fast a chameleon’s tongue is explains the spring-loaded mechanism, and how chameleon eyes work covers the turret eyes that aim it.

Unusually for a chameleon, the veiled chameleon also eats plant material, nibbling leaves and soft shoots. Scientists think this helps it get water during the dry season in its arid homeland. Like other chameleons, it otherwise drinks mostly by lapping dew and rain droplets from leaves rather than from standing water.

Behavior and color change

Veiled chameleons are solitary and territorial. Males in particular are intolerant of each other and begin acting aggressively when only a few months old. Females are more tolerant of one another outside the breeding season.

When two males meet, each flattens his body sideways, inflates his throat, rocks back and forth, curls and uncurls his tail and brightens his colors. A study of captive males at Arizona State University found that the colors carry different messages: males with brighter side stripes were more likely to approach a rival, while males whose heads brightened more, and changed color faster, were more likely to win. Most contests end with displays alone, but serious fights with bites can happen when the loser cannot retreat. The defeated male turns dark and drab.

Color change is driven by layers of skin cells called iridophores, which contain tiny guanine crystals that reflect light, combined with pigment cells. Stress, temperature, social status and reproductive state all affect color. Our article on why chameleons change color explains the mechanism in more detail.

When threatened by a predator, a veiled chameleon may gape and hiss, or curl up, darken and stay motionless until the danger passes. At night it sleeps clinging to the tips of branches, where vibrations warn it if a predator climbs toward it.

Reproduction and life cycle

Veiled chameleons reproduce quickly. They can reach sexual maturity at only 4–5 months old, and in captivity they breed readily without the cool resting season many reptiles need.

Females signal their state with color. A receptive female shows pale blue or turquoise spots on her back. During courtship, the male displays bright colors, flattens his body, sways and nudges the female with his chin; an unreceptive female turns dark, gapes and may bite. After mating, the female soon switches to a dark green to blackish background with blue and yellow spots, telling other males she will not mate again.

About 20–30 days after mating, the female climbs down, digs a tunnel in moist soil or sand and lays her eggs at the end of it before filling it back in. Clutches are large: typically 35–85 eggs, with clutches of up to about 100 reported. Females can lay several clutches a year. There is no parental care after laying.

The eggs develop slowly, usually hatching after about 5–9 months depending on temperature. Part of this time is a pause, or diapause, in which the embryo stops developing at an early stage until rising soil temperatures restart it. Hatchlings are about 5.5–7.5 cm (2–3 in) long and grow remarkably fast, increasing their body mass many times over during their first year.

How long do veiled chameleons live?

Wild lifespans have not been well measured. In captivity, females usually live about 4–6 years and males about 6–8 years. Females tend to have shorter lives because producing several large clutches of eggs every year takes a heavy physical toll; they can even produce eggs without mating.

That makes the veiled chameleon fairly long-lived for a chameleon. Its cousin the panther chameleon rarely survives more than about two years in the wild, and one Madagascan species lives only a few months after hatching. Our article on how long chameleons live compares species.

Predators and threats

Birds and snakes are the main predators of adult chameleons in general, while eggs and hatchlings face many smaller predators. The veiled chameleon’s defenses are camouflage, stillness, dramatic darkening, threat displays and a strong bite if grabbed.

In its native range, pressures include habitat clearance for farming and building, and collection for the pet trade. However, the species remains widespread and copes with altered landscapes.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classes the veiled chameleon as Least Concern (assessed in 2012). It has a relatively large range in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, is common in suitable habitat and tolerates human-changed environments such as gardens and plantations.

International trade is regulated under CITES Appendix II, which covers all chameleons in the genus Chamaeleo. Because the species breeds so easily in captivity, the animals in the international pet trade today are largely captive-bred rather than wild-caught.

Invasive populations in Hawaii and Florida

Away from Arabia, the veiled chameleon’s fast breeding has become a problem. On Maui, Hawaii, it is an established invasive species that preys on native insects, including native moth caterpillars, and on small lizards such as geckos. Hawaii lists it as a restricted animal: importing, keeping or transporting it without a permit has been illegal since the 1990s, and wild animals are removed where possible.

In Florida, the state wildlife agency lists the veiled chameleon as an established nonnative species in some areas. The main lesson from both places is simple: pet reptiles should never be released into the wild.

Myths and facts

Myth: chameleons change color to match their background. Veiled chameleons do blend in, but most of their dramatic color changes are signals to other chameleons or reactions to temperature and stress, not attempts to copy their surroundings.

Myth: the casque is a horn used for fighting. The casque is thin and not used as a weapon. It is larger in males and seems to play a role in display. It is often said to channel dew toward the mouth, but that idea has not been well tested.

Fact: it is a laboratory model. Because they breed fast, lay many eggs and are easy to keep, veiled chameleons are used by biologists to study embryo development, teeth, limb formation and the evolution of the chameleon body plan.