Common chameleon (English spelling)

...General term for reptiles belonging to the Chamaeleonidae family, which are the most adapted to arboreal life in terms of both morphology and ecology among lizards. Approximately 74 species of Chamaeleo , 7 species of Brookesia , and 7 species of Chamaeleon are found in most parts of Africa and on the island of Madagascar, with half of them distributed in each region. However, only one species, the Mediterranean chameleon ( Chamaeleo chamaeleon) (illustration), is found in southern Spain, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, India, and Sri Lanka. All species are morphologically similar, and most are about 20 to 30 cm in total length, but the largest are the Madagascar giant chameleon C. oustaleti and Parson's chameleon C. parsonii (illustration), which are 60 cm in total length, and the smallest are the dwarf chameleon B. nasus , which are 3 to 4 cm in total length. ...

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Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…トカゲ類のうちで，形態的にも生態的にももっとも樹上生活に適応したカメレオン科Chamaeleonidaeに属する爬虫類の総称。カメレオン属Chamaeleo約74種，フトオカメレオン属Brookesia7種，カレハカメレオン属7種がアフリカの大部分とマダガスカル島にほぼ半数ずつ分布するが，チチュウカイカメレオンChamaeleo chamaeleon(英名common chameleon)（イラスト）1種だけはスペイン南部，北アフリカ，アラビア半島，インド，スリランカに分布する。すべての種類が形態的に類似しており，全長20～30cmほどのものが多いが最大はマダガスカルオオカメレオンC.oustaleti，パースンカメレオンC.parsonii（イラスト）などの全長60cm，最小はヒメカメレオンB.nasusなどの全長3～4cm。…

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