Karoo Dwarf Chameleon
Encyclopedia
The Karoo Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion karrooicum) is a chameleon
native to South Africa
. It is about 14 cm (6 inches) long, mostly colored grey and brown, sometimes olive. The thin skin around the throat is yellow, and it has conical scales along the spine.
It inhabits rather dry habitat
on the border between the Great and Little Karoo
of eastern Northern Cape
and western Free State
provinces, South Africa
.
This animal is occasionally considered a subspecies
of the Cape Dwarf Chameleon
(e.g. Klaver & Böhme 1997), but among the South African dwarf chameleons, these two are by no means closely related. Rather, the Karoo Dwarf Chameleon belongs to a group of mostly short-tailed drab Bradypodion species
which mostly inhabit semiarid to arid
habitat. Its closest living relatives among these appear to be the peculiar and nearly extinct Smith's Dwarf Chameleon from mountaineous habitat, and especially the Southern Dwarf Chameleon. The Karoo Dwarf Chameleon may actually be a subspecies of the latter; there appears to be significant gene flow
between the two.(Tolley et al. 2004)
Chameleon
Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
native to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is about 14 cm (6 inches) long, mostly colored grey and brown, sometimes olive. The thin skin around the throat is yellow, and it has conical scales along the spine.
It inhabits rather dry habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
on the border between the Great and Little Karoo
Karoo
The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
of eastern Northern Cape
Northern Cape
The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of an international park shared with Botswana...
and western Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
provinces, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
This animal is occasionally considered a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Cape Dwarf Chameleon
Cape Dwarf Chameleon
The Cape Dwarf Chameleon , is a chameleon native to the South African province of the Western Cape where it is restricted to the region around Cape Town. As with most chameleons, its tongue is twice the length of its body and it can be shot out of its mouth using a special muscle in the jaw...
(e.g. Klaver & Böhme 1997), but among the South African dwarf chameleons, these two are by no means closely related. Rather, the Karoo Dwarf Chameleon belongs to a group of mostly short-tailed drab Bradypodion species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
which mostly inhabit semiarid to arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
habitat. Its closest living relatives among these appear to be the peculiar and nearly extinct Smith's Dwarf Chameleon from mountaineous habitat, and especially the Southern Dwarf Chameleon. The Karoo Dwarf Chameleon may actually be a subspecies of the latter; there appears to be significant gene flow
Gene flow
In population genetics, gene flow is the transfer of alleles of genes from one population to another.Migration into or out of a population may be responsible for a marked change in allele frequencies...
between the two.(Tolley et al. 2004)
