The Life of Animals | Black Headed Dwarf Chamaeleon | The Black-headed Dwarf Chamaeleon (Bradypodion melanocephalum) is a lizard of the family Chamaeleonidae and is endemic to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This chameleon is found in the coastal areas (mostly around Durban) and parts of the Midlands of southern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The current species may consist of several separate species.
It was hypothesized that B. melanocephalum and the Natal Midlands Dwarf Chameleon (B. thamnobates) may be phenotypically plastic populations of the same species, however juveniles of both species were raised under identical conditions and developed into what was phenotypically expected of their original populations, indicating that they are separate species It has been observed ranging in colour from dark brown, through light brown, olive green, to a pale creamy colour at night. The common name, Black-headed Dwarf Chamaeleon, stems from the first specimen studied where the head had turned black in the preservation process
Thickets of finely branched shrubs, tall herbaceous plants and tall grasses in undisturbed grasslands seem to be favoured. The wild date palm Phoenix reclinata is also a favoured micro-habitat The Black-headed Dwarf Chamaeleon is vulnerable because of its limited distribution. Roads are also a threat in dividing habitats; these animals are not adapted to open areas and move very slowly, making them soft targets for predators and vehicles on open roads.
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