Veiled Chameleon

Taken through glass at the Calgary Zoo. Such amazing details and colours on this Veiled Chameleon.

"The Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus), is a large species of chameleon found in the mountain regions of Yemen and Saudi Arabia. It is also sometimes referred to as the Yemen Chameleon.

The male veiled chameleon has a green base color and, depending on mood, this green will range from a bright lime green to a red olive drab. The green base color is marked with stripes and spots of yellow, brown, and blue. Non breeding females and juvenile chameleons are generally a uniform green color with some white markings. Breeding and gravid females are a very dark green with blue and yellow spots. The prominence of these markings is dependent on several factors including health, mood, and temperature of the lizard.

Like most chameleons, veiled chameleons are specialized tree dwellers. They have a flattened body meant to mimic a leaf and feet specially designed for grasping limbs and branches. They have a prehensile tail that acts as a fifth appendage and aids in climbing. Their eyes work independently of one another allowing the chameleon to look in front of and behind itself at the same time. They have a long sticky tongue that they use to capture their insect prey. Veiled chameleons are ambush predators and are capable of lying still for very long periods of time waiting for an unsuspecting locust to wander by." From Wikipedia.