Chamaeleo Jacksonii
Jackson's Chameleon lives in Kenya and Tanzania. A small number of them was transported to Hawaii in 1972 to be sold as pets, but after they were released in the backyard of a pet-shop owner they escaped into the wild, where they adapted and established a population. Each individual occupies its own territory, or tree, feeding with insects. They may change their color to various hues of green, yellow, and brown, but usually at random -- not in order to match with the background. Males have three horns on their head, one pointing upwards and a pair pointing downwards. Females do not have horns.
The above picture was taken at Melbourne zoo, in May 2000, showing both a female and a male chameleon.
Subgenus Trioceros
Genus Chamaeleo
Family Chamaeleonidae
Infraorder Iguania
Suborder Sauria
Order Squamata
Class Reptilia
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
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