Family: Chamaeleonidae
Common Name: Short-horned
Scientific Name: Calumma brevicornis
Food: Insects are accepted as well as the occasional pinkie.
Distribution: E/N Madagascar (found only in the Tsarafidyi Forest).
Habitat: Found in shrubs and trees of forest edges.
Color Discription: consists of brown and grey tones and the males have a slightly ligher colored head. The rostrum can take on an orange to red coloration. There are also specimens that display more green coloration with blue legs and chin.
Physical Discription: large occipital lobes and the male's rostral adornment. The males reach a total length of about 13 inches. The females are slightly smaller.
Size:
Temperatures/Humidity: daytime temperatures between 64º - 86º F, and nighttime temps as low as 46º - 59º F or lower. The annual rainfall is about 1000 mm, which gives a humidity around 50-60 % at daytime and around 80-90% at night. The daytime temperature should be kept around 80º F in the summer and around room-temperature in the winter.
Breeding/Reproduction: 10 - 30 eggs are deposited 40 days after mating. little is known about the incubation.
Cage Setup: For successful captive care the enclosure must be well planted and contain many climbing branches.
Water:
Special Needs:
Special Note: At night it is important that there is a significant drop in temperature.
This is a very sedentary chameleon but none-the-less they require a large enclosure.
very agressive towards other specimens and, therefore, the sexes must be kept separately.
The threat ritual is much like an elephants -it spreads out its "ears" (occipital lobes) and attacks with open mouth.