Product Description
The Namaqua chameleon (Chamaeleo namaquensis) is a ground-living lizard found in the western desert regions of Namibia, South Africa and southern Angola. Chamaeleo namaquensis is one of the largest chameleon species in southern Africa, and reaches up to 25 cm in length. Females are larger than males, though the latter are proportionately more robust and have larger heads and head ornamentation, as well as a bulge under the tail base due to the presence of hemipenes. Its tail is far shorter than its body and those of other arboreal chameleons as an adaptation to its primarily terrestrial habitat. It has large dorsal spines and a prominent, pointed casque on the back of its head and lacks the neck flap of other Chamaeleo species. Like many chameleons, this species has nasal salt glands which excretes excess minerals such as sodium chloride and potassium. It has hygroscopic skin, and shares a feature with some other lizards (such as the thorny devil, Texas horned lizard, Saara hardwickii, and the giant girdled lizard) in that it can drink moisture in contact with its scales through capillary action.
Unlike the arboreal chameleons of the genus Chamaeleo, its tail is not prehensile, but otherwise it still hunts in the same way, slowly stalking its prey and catching it with its long tongue. Unusually for a chameleon, they will also chase down prey attempting to flee and will sometimes seize them with their jaws rather than with their tongue. Namaqua chameleons primarily feed on insects, eating mostly tenebrionid beetles and to a lesser extent oedipodine grasshoppers. They will occasionally feed on lizards (including young chameleons of their own species), snakes, and various other arthropods. In one exceptional case, an individual was seen catching and killing a Peringuey's adder twice its own length. They mostly hunt their prey in sandy dunes and rocky areas, but some coastal populations also forage for marine arthropods in intertidal zones, making it the only chameleon species to do so. Although typically feeding on live prey, in captivity they can sometimes be weaned onto dead food items.
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