Cape Dwarf Chameleon
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 Adult female
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| Bradypodion pumilum Gmelin, 1789 |
The Cape Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion pumilum), is a chameleon native to the South African province of the Western Cape. As with most Chameleons, its tongue is twice the length of its body and it can be shot out of its mouth using a special muscle in the jaw. This gives the Chameleon the ability to catch insects some distance away.
The Cape Dwarf Chameleon is an endangered species.
The Cape Dwarf Chameleon is known to reach sizes of over 15cm, including the tail, especially in the case of females, which tend to be larger than the males. They are ovoviviparous, but examination in captivity has shown that there is a very soft egg-like membrane around the young which is discarded immediately on birth. The young look like miniature versions of the adults with muted colours, and typically reach no more than 2cm in length at birth. The tail is prehensile, and the feet are well evolved to grasping twigs, with minute claws on the end which improve thair grip.
Normally very slow moving, chameleons have a characteristic shake which may let them look more like leaves to prey and predators. When provoked, they can speed up to several centimetres a second. When further provoked, they will inflate themselves, hiss, change colour dramatically and bite. They do not have sharp teeth, so their bite rarely inflicts more than a painful pinch.
While it is not normally legal to keep these chameleons, it is possible to obtain special permission from the south african government to do so. If kept in captivity with access to sunlight (necessary for their health) or similar source of UV, they will thrive and breed well. Good food sources include flies and grasshoppers. They can also be accustomed to sitting along a finger and learning that the finger may be pointed at a fly for them to eat. They will eat voraciously, consuming ten or more large bluebottle flies at a feeding.
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