Yemen Chamaeleon

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

With its total length of about 50 cm (up to 60 cm) in males, it is a large chamaeleon. Females however are smaller with the average overall length being just under 30 cm. They have a flattened body meant to mimic a leaf and suited to collect the warmth of the sun. The special characteristic is the casque, which can reach a length of 8 cm in the males. They have a green base color and, depending on mood, this green will range from a bright lime green to a dark olive drab. The green base color is marked with stripes and spots of yellow, brown, and blue. This means that they are communicating via their coloration. Females take on softer colours; shades of green, brown and often times oranges. Yemen chamaeleons are however also masters in camouflage. They can adapt their coloration to almost any background so that they cannot be seen neither by their prey nor their enemies. The feet are specially designed for grasping and climbing limbs and branches. They have a prehensile tail that acts as a “fifth hand” and aids also in climbing. Like other chamaeleons they can turn their eyes 360 degrees independently from each other, allowing them to look in front of and behind themselves at the same time. Yemen chameleons are ambush predators and are capable of lying still for very long periods of time waiting for an unsuspecting insect to wander by. As soon as prey is detected, both eyes fix it and the tongue is thrown out of the mouth with a speed of 22 km/h. The prey sticks to the tip of the tongue and is pulled back into the mouth. While their main diet consists of insects, they will occasionally consume the leaves and blossoms of various plants, in particular in times of drought when water is scarce. They live solitary, males defending vigorously their territory against other males, but accepting a female ready to mate. Copulation lasts 3 to 20 minutes and can be repeated on the following days. For egg-laying, the female digs a whole in the ground. She can produce up to 3 clutches of eggs a year (they may be multiple clutches of eggs, with only one male encounter). Each clutch may contain 20-70 eggs. The eggs usually take 6-9 months to hatch. The newly hatched chamaeleons are 2 to 2,5 cm long.

Did you know?
that, like all chameleons, Yemen Chameleons prefer to drink water that is in drops? They do not always recognize standing water and may dehydrate if that is their only source.

Factsheet
Class	REPTILIA
Order	SQUAMATA
Suborder	SAURIA (IGUANIA)
Family	CHAMAELEONIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Chamaeleo calyptratus
Name (English)	Yemen Chamaeleon
Name (French)	Caméléon casqué du Yémen
Name (German)	Jemenchamaeleon
Name (Spanish)	Camaleón velado, Camaleón del Yemen
CITES Status	Appendix II
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Chris Kadet

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Yemen, Saudi-Arabia
Habitat	It lives in a variety of habitats from humid-warm with sporadic strong rainfalls to extremely arid with significant temperature changes in a mountain range with peaks up to 3760 m asl. In early spring the temperature is about 30 °C and in the summer it increases to over 40 °C an. In winter this chamaeleon species can even survive occasional nightly frosts, protected in crevices or holes.
Wild population	Regarded to be common. However, the restricted range indicates a potential threat by habitat destruction. Over-collecting and increasing use of pesticides may be a threat to some populations. But the population is stable (Red List IUCN 2011)
Zoo population	175 reported to ISIS (2007), but this Chameleon is also often kept in captivity by private owners.

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 41 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Kupos

Why do zoos keep this animal

The Yemen chameleon is not a threatened species. Zoos and aquariums keep it primarily for educational reasons.

How this animal should be kept

Most chameleon species are fairly solitary and intolerant of other individuals being housed with them. They are also quite stress-sensitive. Thus one adult animal per terrarium is the general rule. A part-screen or – preferable – a full-screen enclosure is almost a must for Yemen chamaeleons. Glass aquariums can lead to respiratory diseases due to the stagnant air not being circulated, and they will be stressed if they can see their reflection. These Chameleons also need as adults a large enclosure to climb around in; and smaller enclosures will stress them. A 100 x 80 x 120 cm (l x w x h) terrarium is the minimum, but larger is better. It should contain lots of vines and leaves to walk on and to climb. The cage should be also furnished with branches of different diameters so that the chameleon can easily navigate the entire cage. Live plants will provide good hiding places and add to the beauty and humidity of the enclosure. However, because some chameleons are known for eating vegetable matter, only non-toxic plants should be planted in their enclosures (e.g. Hibiscus, Ficus benjamina, Scindapsus sp., Epipremnium sp., Hoya sp.). It is recommendable to place some foliage between the outside and the chameleon, as the activity in the room can stress them. For the bottom, either a reptile carpet, clean sand, a sand soil mixture or a digestible forest substrate is recommended. During the day it is important to offer lighting which creates a heat gradient of 25 degrees C to 35 degrees C. At night the temperature (and heat gradient) should be reduced by app. 10 degrees C.

These animals require a high light intensity (HQI Lamps). The arrangements of lights, plants and branches should be such to allow for at least one basking site where the temperature will reach the upper limits of the animal's comfortable temperature range. The temperature in the rest of the enclosure should be lower allowing the animal to choose its own suitable temperature by moving around the cage The chameleon will thus find its own comfort level by basking at different levels within the terrarium. Heating pads at the bottom should be avoided, as this can seriously burn the animal, since a chameleon's heat-sensors are on their backs, not on their bellies. As Chameleons climb on anything its better not to cover the heat source with a wire cage otherwise they tend to climb on the cage and burn their underside. It is better to situate the heat source far enough away from the nearest branch that they can't touch it at all. If possible, the animals should be allowed access to unfiltered sunlight. At night, the lights should be turned off. One can also use a night time bulb, which creates the illusion of a tropical nightime atmosphere.

The Yemen chamaelon should be provided with a wide range of food. Crickets are the staple food and should make up most of their diet. In addition they can also be fed with mealworms, silkworms, butterworms, waxworms and superworms. Waxworms however are very high in fat and should be given in limited quantity. They will even eat earthworms. Not all individuals will eat the same insects equally well, so one should find out the personal likes and dislikes. Some will eat plant matter, so, in order to find out, some lettuce greens, spinach and other green leave vegetables should be offered. It is imperative to offer a calcium supplement with the food. Therefore the insects must be dusted with a powdered calcium supplement every second feeding for young animals, and 2 - 3 times a week for adults. Later on a multivitamin product (containing calcium) may be given. They do not like standing water, and will very rarely drink this way, if at all. Warm water should be either sprayed into leaves twice a day, or seen dripping into the enclosure. Some individuals will hardly ever drink, and some will always drink. However for young Chameleons it is imperative that a heavy mist is sprayed once a day.