REPTILIA: SQUAMATA: AGAMIDAE: Gonocephalus

Gonocephalus chamaeleontinus 
(Laurenti, 1768)

Chameleon dragon

Photos & text by Dr. Robert Sprackland. Specimen at left is an adult male, snout-vent length about 14 cm/5.25 inches.

Range: Southern Malaya, Sumatra, and western Java.

Diagnosis: Head short, with a strong triangular profile and spines directly above the eyes. Nuchal spines longest, and vertebral crest continuous from occiput (base of the skull) to tail.

Description: Body short, laterally compressed, with a pronounced vertebral keel. Head short, acutely pointed, with a strong canthus rostralis from the nostrils to above the eyes. Ear opening present, smaller than diameter of eye. Moveable eyelids present. Limbs long, thin, and equipped with five well-clawed digits. Hindlimbs slightly longer than front limbs.

  Left: Female chameleon dragon.

Body generally green (though Sumatran specimens are only brown) with orange and tan markings. The skin around the eye is bright blue in males. males also have a large dewlap.

Natural History: Very little is known about this species.

Reproduction: Egg layers.

Taxonomy & Relationships: Gonocephalus is derived from Greek and means "angle head," while chamaeleontinus is Greek for "chameleon-like."

Variation: Males vary in the amount of orange coloring they have based on locality. Sumatran specimens are entirely brown. Females may be marked only with green and black.

Additional Comments:

Type Specimen:

Literature:   Click on book to order a copy

Chan-ard, Tanya, Wolfgang Grossman, Andreas Gumprecht and Klaus-Dieter Schulz. 1999. Amphibians and reptiles of peninsular Malaysia and Thailand, an illustrated checklist. In English & German. Bushmaster Publications. ISBN: 3-9806813-0-0.

Lamar, William. 1997. The World's Most Spectacular Reptiles & Amphibians. World Publications. ISBN: 1-884942-07-5.

Manthey, Ulrich and Wolfgang Denzer. 1993. Die Echten Winkelkopfagamen der Gattung Gonocephalus Kaup (Sauria: Agamidae) VI. Die chamaeleontinus- Gruppe. Sauria 15(2): 23-38.

Manthey, Ulrich and Wolfgang Grossman. 1997. Amphibien & Reptilien Südostasiens. In German. Natur und Tier Verlag. ISBN: 3-931587-12-6.