NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Veiled Chameleon
Chamaeleo calyptratus Duméril & Duméril, 1851
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) is a species of chameleon (family Chamaeleonidae) native to the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Other common names include cone-head chameleon, Yemen chameleon, and Yemeni chameleon. They are born pastel green and without their distinctive casques on their head. When newly hatched veiled chameleons are surprised, they may drop to the ground and turn a bright red color due to stress.
As they mature, their casque develops along with more vibrant coloring, as well as a dramatic gular fold that will protrude from their throat and chin. They are known for their variable color changes due to a variety of factors, including to show aggression, social status, reproduction, and stress. Female lifespan is around five years while male lifespan is around eight, and they breed a few times a year.
Wikipedia contributors, Veiled chameleon; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:58:47.029700+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chamaeleo calyptratus Duméril & Duméril, 1851
- Name authority
- Duméril & Duméril, 1851
- Common name
- Veiled Chameleon
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Chamaeleonidae
- Genus
- Chamaeleo
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderIguania
- familyChamaeleonidae
- genusChamaeleo
- speciesChamaeleo calyptratus Duméril & Duméril, 1851
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Chamaeleo. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Namaqua ChameleonChamaeleo namaquensis Smith, 1831 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Smooth chameleonChamaeleo laevigatus Gray, 1863 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Double-scaled ChameleonChamaeleo anchietae Bocage, 1872 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chamaeleo calcaricarens Böhme, 1985 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chamaeleo chamaeleon (Linnaeus, 1758) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Graceful ChameleonChamaeleo gracilis Hallowell, 1844 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Socotra ChameleonChamaeleo monachus Gray, 1865 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Chamaeleo (Chamaeleo) calyptratus calcarifer Peters, 1871 Peters, 1871 | synonym |
| Chamaeleo calcaratus Peters, 1870 Peters, 1870 | ambiguous synonym |
| Chamaeleo calcarifer Peters, 1871 Peters, 1871 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Chamaeleo&species=calyptratus Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:TK53. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.