''Bradypodion ventrale'', the southern dwarf chameleon, occurs in the
Eastern Cape,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. It is also known as the eastern Cape dwarf chameleon. It is a relatively large species of
dwarf chameleon, reaching lengths of . It has a very prominent casque on the back of its head and a long, beard-like throat crest. It lives in dense thickets and shrub, and is usually very difficult to spot because of its colouring. It adapts very well to living in suburban gardens, but domestic cats – being introduced predators – will usually kill all chameleons in the immediate area. Consequently, one should not bring chameleons into a garden which is frequented by cats. It gives birth to litters of between 10 and 20 babies in the summer.
References
* Tolley, K. and Burger, M. 2007. Chameleons of Southern Africa. .
External links
Search for Distribution of ''Bradypodion ventrale''
Bradypodion
Endemic reptiles of South Africa
Reptiles described in 1845
Taxa named by John Edward Gray
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