Chamaeleo jacksonii

All you want to know about Chamaeleo jacksonii

Jackson's Chameleon

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Sauria
Family:	Chamaeleonidae
Genus:	Chamaeleo
Subgenus:	Trioceros
Species:	C. jacksonii

Binomial name

Chamaeleo jacksonii
Boulenger, 1896

Chamaeleo jacksonii (common names Jackson's Chameleon or Three-horned Chameleon) is an African chameleon belonging to the chameleon family (Chamaeleonidae).

There are three subspecies:

Chamaeleo jacksonii jacksonii Boulanger 1896 : Jackson's Chameleon
Chamaeleo jacksonii merumontanus Rand 1958 : Dwarf Jackson's Chameleon
Chamaeleo jacksonii xantholophus Eason, Ferguson & Hebrard 1988 : Yellow-crested Jackson's Chameleon

They are native to the humid, cooler regions of Kenya and Tanzania, East Africa, found in great numbers at altitudes over 3,000 m. The subspecies merumontanus can only be found on Mt. Meru and the Arusha districts of Tanzania. The subspecies xantholophus was introduced to Hawaii in the 1970s and has since established a large feral population. This population was the primary source of Jackson's Chameleons for the exotic pet trade. However, the exportation of these animals (and many others) from Hawaii for the pet trade has been made illegal to prevent opportunists from willfully establishing further feral animal populations in order to capture and sell them.

These are small to medium sized chameleons. Their adult size is 12 inches (30 cm) in total length. They have a saw-tooth shaped dorsal ridge. There is no gullar crest. They attain sexual maturity after five months. The lifespan is variable, with males generally living longer than females.

Most chameleons are oviparous, but Jackson's Chameleon gives birth to live offspring: 8 to 30 live young are born after a five to six month gestation. The subspecies merumontanus gives birth to 5-10 live young.

They are sometimes called Three-horned Chameleons because males possess three brown horns: one on the nose (the rostral horn) and one above each orbital ridges around the eyes (preocular horns), like Triceratops. The female generally have no horns, or traces of the rostral horn (in the subspecies jacksonii and merumontanus). The colouring is usually bright green, with some individual animals having traces of blue and yellow, but like all chameleons it changes quickly depending on mood, health, and temperature.

Jackson's chameleons live primarily on a diet of small insects. They are less territorial than most species of chameleons. Males will generally assert dominance over each other through color displays and posturing in an attempt to secure mating rights, but usually not to the point of physical fights.

Captive care

Jackson's chameleons are often kept as pets, although they are not easy to maintain in captivity, and do not do well when handled.^{[citation needed]} They can live longer than five years, and require a typical reptilian vivarium with a montane-type climate.^{[citation needed]}