Chameleon CornerSpecies / Jackson's chameleon
Jackson's chameleon is the one that looks a bit like a tiny Triceratops. Males carry three horns on the snout, which they use in shoving contests with rivals. The species comes from the cooler highlands of Kenya and Tanzania.
- Range
- Kenya and Tanzania, with an introduced population in Hawaii
- Size
- Usually 20 to 30 cm in total
- Habitat
- Cool, misty highland forests
- Reproduction
- Live birth, with a dozen or more young at a time
Horns and live birth
Females are usually hornless, or have only small bumps. Unlike most chameleons, they do not lay eggs on the ground. The eggs develop inside the mother, and the young are born in thin membranes that they shed within moments.
Because it comes from cooler, wetter mountains, this species is sensitive to heat. That is one reason it is considered harder to keep than the veiled chameleon.