Chameleons are a class of animals belonging to the reptilian lizardidae family, and their scientific name is refuge. As masters of camouflage in the animal kingdom, chameleons are adept at adapting their body color to changes in their surroundings. As a result, they are often seen as the best of high-end pets. Do you know which chameleons are the most fascinating?
Today, we're going to cover the top 10 best-looking chameleons in the world, which include the Leopard Chameleon, Rainforest Jewelry Chameleon, King Chameleon, High Crested Chameleon, Carpet Chameleon, Jackson Chameleon, Spray Point Chameleon, and many more. Let's take a look at them.
1. Leopard chameleon (rich color and changeable pattern)
The leopard chameleon, also known as the colorful chameleon, is one of the best-looking chameleons and is known for its rich colors and changeable patterns. The viewing effect is excellent, and the changes in body color are closely related to mood, such as lightening when hot, red when angry, and gray when fearful. Some of the chameleons we are familiar with, such as Ambilube, Nossibe, Nosifali, etc., all belong to the category of leopard chameleons. The leopard chameleon is as difficult to raise as the high-crested chameleon, and the price is slightly higher than that of the high-crested chameleon.
2. Rainforest jewelry chameleon (spherical scales, ribbon pattern)
The Jewelry Chameleon is recognized as the most attractive of all the chameleons, with the Rainforest Jewelry Chameleon being the most famous. Despite being called "jewelry", the word "jewelry" does not refer to their jewelry-like body color, but rather to the delicate beauty of their bulbous scales. The color-changing abilities of these chameleons are so powerful that it is sometimes difficult to determine their base color. Despite its beauty, the rainforest jewel chameleon is declining due to the fact that it is almost all unmanageable and difficult to catch in the wild, so it does not receive the attention it deserves in the illegal pet trade.
3. King Chameleon (the largest chameleon)
King chameleons are large chameleons that are endemic to the remote moist primeval forests of the island of Madagascar. Adult king chameleons can be up to 65 centimeters long, and a very few individuals may even reach 70 centimeters. They specialize in preying on small mammals, birds, and even other reptiles, using their powerful tongues to hunt prey at once, and their tongues can be up to 1.5 times the length of their bodies. This chameleon thrives on the island of Madagascar on the east coast of Africa. The king chameleon is not only large in size, but also extremely rare and has a ferocious temperament. They are considered to be one of the rarest chameleons.
4. High-crested chameleon (the cheapest chameleon with a wide range of temperatures)
The crested chameleon, known for its towering fleshy crown, is a rare occurrence, with a few in Asia, while most of the rest are found in Africa, especially on the island of Madagascar. The wide range of temperature adaptations of high-crested chameleons makes them one of the easiest chameleons to breed and the most entry-level breed to keep for beginners, making them one of the most prevalent and affordable chameleons to breed among reptile enthusiasts worldwide.
In China, the high-crowned chameleon is listed as a national second-class protected animal and is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, so it is illegal for individuals to buy and raise high-crowned chameleons, and it is forbidden to purchase and conserve them privately.
5. Carpet chameleon (short lifespan, beautiful pregnancy)
Carpet chameleons, as common chameleons, are indispensable in the chameleon species overview. They belong to the smaller group of arboreal chameleons, and despite their petite size, they are quite surprisingly fecund, laying eggs all year round, and can lay 3-6 clutches of eggs a year. Eggs from wild carpet chameleons generally have a higher hatching success rate than artificially bred eggs. Female carpet chameleons display brilliant and colorful body colors during pregnancy, and their appearance is more striking and varied than that of male chameleons during this time. However, carpet chameleons have a relatively short lifespan, usually only 2-3 years.
6. Jackson chameleon (triangular chameleon, mild personality)
There are three most common types of chameleons as pets, including the colorful chameleon, the high-crowned chameleon, and the Jackson chameleon. One of them is the Jackson chameleon, which is found only in the regions of Kenya and Tanzania. They are known for their striking appearance and unique behavioral habits. Their eye-catching appearance and magical color-changing abilities make them a popular destination for pet breeders. Although the Jackson chameleon is not very aggressive, it is often caught and trafficked around the world as pets due to its attractive appearance and peculiar color-changing properties. Although the Jackson chameleon is limited in aggressiveness, it is best kept alone to maintain its natural state. Compared to the other two chameleons, the Jackson chameleon is more difficult to raise.
7. Spray point chameleon (the largest number of chameleons)
Spray spot chameleons are one of the most widespread and abundant chameleons in the world. Due to their wide distribution, spray-point chameleons are generally more adaptable to different environments than other chameleon species. This spray-dotted chameleon covers many subspecies, but it is not distinguished in detail, so it exhibits a large variation in body color. The main body color ranges from earthy yellow to green, all with black spots all over the body, and all are equipped with ear crowns that can be erected according to the mood. However, due to different distribution regions, the difference in crown size between spray spot chameleons can also be quite significant.
8. Minor chameleon (colorful, changes skin tone in a very short time)
The Mino chameleon is a fascinating chameleon that belongs to the endemic species of Madagascar, Africa. They mainly inhabit humid tropical forests at altitudes of 1000 to 1650 meters above sea level, and can even be found in coffee and cocoa plantations. The Merochrome chameleon is usually solitary, active day and night, and uses its long tongue to display efficient hunting skills when hunting insects. This chameleon reproduces up to three times a year, with males of the Murno chameleon measuring about 24 centimeters in length, while females are slightly smaller and about 16 centimeters long. Known for its brilliant and colorful body color, the Minor Chameleon is able to quickly change skin color, exhibiting an amazing color shift.
9. Giant wart-crowned chameleon (large spines, crown covered with round scales)
The Giant Muscarus Chameleon is another large Malagasy chameleon that is similar in appearance to the Orix Chameleon, but the Giant Chameleon has larger spines, a more slender body, and a variety of body colors. However, the most striking feature is that they are covered with large, round scales from the back of their head to the back of their eyes, resembling fleshy warts, and are therefore often referred to as giant-crowned chameleons. As long as you understand their habits and feed them a variety of diets, training them is no more challenging than that of high-crested chameleons. For breeders who prefer large chameleons, this chameleon is a relatively easy option for successful breeding.
10. Miller chameleon (the largest chameleon in Africa)
The Miller chameleon is the largest chameleon on the African continent, reaching a length of 61 centimeters in adults and up to 76 centimeters in a few individuals and weighing up to 600 grams. This chameleon has a tongue up to 51 centimeters long, two fan-shaped occipital lobes that resemble ears behind its head, and a row of semicircular proximal processes on its back. Usually, their skin patterns are yellow and green with spots, or they alternate between white and green.
Miller chameleons are also one of the few chameleons that are capable of group activity, and are more picky about food than the average chameleon. Both adults and juveniles love to prey on food that flies.
Top 10 best-looking chameleons in the world - Encyclopedia of animals