Flap-neck Chameleon at Ingula

Every now and again, someone comes running into Ingula’s conservation offices with a Flap-neck Chameleon they have rescued off the tarred roads.

Actually, not a lot is known about these captivating, shy creatures besides the fact that their eyes turn in their heads like crazy and they can change colour to suit their mood. When angered or disturbed, the male Flap-neck inflates itself to what seems like bursting point, so that its throat skin shows bright-orange between the scales. At the same time, the mouth is held agape, revealing the red-orange lining inside and the characteristic neck flap is raised. The combined impression is most fearsome, but they are in fact perfectly harmless, with neither teeth nor claws.

The Flap-neck Chameleon (inwabu) is the most widespread and largest chameleon in southern Africa, found in a wide variety of habitats, most common in savanna and bushveld. It may also be abundant around wetlands, where the vegetation is protected from fire, another reason why a mosaic of burns are done at Ingula every year.

They get their name from the large flap behind their heads. Their tails are strongly prehensile (able to grasp something) and about the same length as their bodies. Flap-neck Chameleons feed on insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, flies and butterflies, snaring them with their long, sticky tongues which they shoot out with great speed and accuracy. But the most fascinating thing about chameleons is their ability to move their eyes independently!