The flap-necked chameleon (''Chamaeleo dilepis'') is a species of arboreal

chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...

, a

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

. There are eight recognized

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

, including the nominotypical subspecies.

Subspecies

The following subspecies of the flap-necked chameleon are recognized as being valid. www.reptile-database.org. *''Chamaeleo dilepis dilepis'' – flap-necked chameleon *''Chamaeleo dilepis idjwiensis'' – Idjwi Island flap-necked chameleon *''Chamaeleo dilepis isabellinus'' – Isabelline flap-necked chameleon *''Chamaeleo dilepis martensi'' – Pemba Island flap-necked chameleon *''Chamaeleo dilepis petersii'' – Peters' flap-necked chameleon *''Chamaeleo dilepis quilensis'' *''Chamaeleo dilepis roperi'' *''Chamaeleo dilepis ruspolii''

Etymology

The subspecific name ''roperi'' is in honor of G.D. Trevor-Roper.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Chameleo roperi'', p. 226; ''Chameleo ruspolii'', p. 229). The subspecific name ''ruspolii'' is in honor of Italian explorer Prince

Eugenio Ruspoli Prince Eugenio Ruspoli ( Țigănești, 6 January 1866 – near Burgi, Somalia, 4 December 1893) was an Italian explorer and naturalist. He was the author of the book ''Nel Paese della Mirra'', published in 1892. Biography Ruspoli belonged to t ...

Description

''Chamaeleo dilepis'' is a large

, reaching a total length (including tail) of . Colouring ranges through various shades of green, yellow, and brown. There is usually a pale stripe on the lower flanks and one to three pale patches higher on the flanks. 100 pp. . (''Chamaeleo dilepis'', pp. 87–88). Chamaeleo dilepis00.jpg Flap-necked chameleon chamaeleo dilepis.jpg Flap-necked chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis) female 2.jpg, Juvenile female
South Africa

Geographic range and habitat

''Chamaeleo dilepis'' has a very wide distribution, occurring throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa from as far north as Ethiopia and Somalia to a western extreme of Cameroon, and as far south as northern South Africa. It inhabits coastal forest, moist or dry

savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

, woodland and bushy grasslands, and may also venture into rural and suburban areas.

Ecology

The adult female flap-necked chameleon lays 10-40 eggs in a hole dug in soil. The eggs take 10–12 months to hatch. The diet of ''C. dilepis'' includes a variety of invertebrates, although large individuals may take

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

s and other chameleons. The species is itself commonly preyed on by snakes such as the

boomslang The boomslang (, , or ; ''Dispholidus typus'') is a large, highly venomous snake in the family Colubridae. Taxonomy and etymology Its common name means "tree snake" in Afrikaans and Dutch – ''boom'' meaning "tree", and ''slang'' meaning "sna ...

and the twig snake.

Captivity

''Chamaeleo dilepis'' does well in captivity. It is mostly active during the day. When this species is in captivity, it is very important to create an environment very much like its natural climate. It may be fed a diet including crickets, mealworms, wax worms, and other locally caught insects. Its estimated life expectancy is 5–8 years.

Conservation

The flap-necked chameleon is in heavy demand for the international pet trade, being the third most highly traded chameleon species. More than 111,000 individuals were exported between 1977 and 2011, mostly to the USA. No detrimental effects on the total population size have been observed so far, although more in-depth studies have been recommended. The species is currently classified as Least Concern by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

References

* Branch, Bill (2004). ''Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa''. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . (''Chamaeleo dilepis'', pp. 227–228 + Plate 96). * Leach WE (1819). "Appendix. No. IV. Reptilia. (Reptiles.)" pp. 493–496. ''In'': Bowdich TE (1819). ''Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee, with a Statistical Account of that Kingdom, and Geographical Notices of other Parts of the Interior of Africa''. London: John Murray. viii + 512 pp. (''Chamaeleo dilepis'', new species, p. 493). (in English and Latin). * Main DC, van Vuuren BJ, Tolley KA (2018). "Cryptic diversity in the common flap-necked chameleon ''Chamaeleo dilepis'' in South Africa". ''African Zoology'' 53 (3): 11–16. * Reaney LT, Yee S, Losos JB, Whiting MJ (2012). "Ecology of the Flap-necked Chameleon ''Chamaeleo dilepis'' in Southern Africa". ''Breviora'' (532): 1–18. * Reissig J, Boshoff D (2013). "''Chamaeleo dilepis dilepis'' Leach, 1819, Common Flap-neck Chameleon, Reproduction". ''African Herp News, Newsletter of the Herpetological Association of Africa'' (59): 44–45. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1805816 Chamaeleo Lizards of Africa Reptiles described in 1819 Taxa named by William Elford Leach Chameleons Afrotropical realm fauna Reptiles of Africa Reptiles of Sub-Saharan Africa Reptiles of Central Africa Reptiles of East Africa Reptiles of Southern Africa Reptiles of Cameroon Reptiles of South Sudan Reptiles of Ethiopia Reptiles of Somalia Reptiles of Kenya Reptiles of Uganda Reptiles of Gabon Reptiles of Equatorial Guinea Reptiles of Angola Reptiles of Zambia Reptiles of Tanzania Reptiles of Namibia Reptiles of Botswana Reptiles of Zimbabwe Reptiles of Mozambique Reptiles of Malawi Reptiles of South Africa Reptiles of Eswatini Reptiles of Lesotho Reptiles as pets