Little karoo dwarf chameleon
The Robertson dwarf chameleon, also known as the Little Karoo dwarf chameleon, (Bradypodion gutturale ) is a chameleon in the genus Bradypodion. It is found in the dry Fynbos and Renosterveld shrub vegetation, in the centre of the Western Cape province, South Africa.
An insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
Ambush predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey by stealth, luring, or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an elemen...
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starts withA medium-sized dwarf chameleon, with a relatively robust build and a long prehensile tail, it can grow up to 15 cm in length. It is generally grey-olive in colour, but individuals have been found that vary.
This species occurs in the Little Karoo, and the surrounding mountain ranges, within the Western Cape, South Africa.
It is recorded as far west as the border of the Cederberg mountains, and as far east as Uniondale. In the south it occurs near the coast in the area of Robertson and on the Agulhas plain.
It prefers the fynbos vegetation, unlike some other species of dwarf chameleons that are forest-dwellers. It is particularly adapted to dry fynbos, renosterveld and is even found in the transition zones to arid succulent Karoo vegetation. DNA evidence suggests the Robertson chameleon may have diverged from the forest-dwellers several million years ago, coinciding with the retreat of the forests and the spread of dry fynbos.
