The Life of Animals | Cape Dwarf Chameleon | The Cape Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion pumilum), is a chameleon native to the South African province of the Western Cape where it is restricted to the region around Cape Town. This gives the chameleon the ability to catch insects some distance away. Like the Knysa Dwarf Chameleon it seems to be a basal offshoot of the ancestral stock which gave rise to all Bradypodion
The Cape Dwarf Chameleon is not an CITES-protected endangered species. living as they do in the area now dominated by the city of Cape Town, their natural habitat is being largely covered by urban expansion.This chameleon readily adapts to living in town gardens, so the urbanisation itself is not necessarily a threat. However, the use of hedge trimmers and the introduction of domestic cats have seen the species vanishing from large areas of Cape Town.
The Cape Dwarf Chameleon is known to grow over 15 centimeters in length, including the tail, with males and females reaching similar adult sizes. The young resemble miniature versions of the adults with muted colours, and typically reach no more than 2cm in length at birth. Normally very slow moving, chameleons have a characteristic shake which may let them look more like leaves to prey and predators. When further provoked, they will inflate themselves, hiss, change colour dramatically and bite. Cat owners should be aware that domestic cats are introduced predators, and will usually kill all chameleons in the immediate area. Consequently one should not bring chameleons into a garden which is frequented by cats.
