AnimalsChameleons can move each eye on its own and shoot out a sticky tongue longer than their body to catch insects. They change colour mainly to signal mood and to control body temperature, not simply to match the background.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Chamaeleo calyptratus
- Group
- Reptiles
- Diet
- Insectivore (eats insects and other small creatures)
- Lives in
- Yemen and Saudi Arabia
- Habitat
- Hills, valleys and trees
- A young one is called
- hatchling
- A group is called
- no special name
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Reptilia
- Order Squamata
- Family Chamaeleonidae
- Genus Chamaeleo
- Species Chamaeleo calyptratus
More distant relatives in the order Squamata: common house gecko, Indian cobra, Indian python, king cobra, Komodo dragon.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The veiled chameleon is listed as Least Concern. The species is widespread or numerous enough that it is not considered at risk of extinction at present.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.