Are you interested in learning a little more about the natural life of chameleons?
Do you want to know about the predators of this cute reptile pet?
Knowing about the enemies of chameleons may not be useful as a pet owner, but it is interesting.
You may be wondering:
What animals eat chameleons?
Chameleons are far down on the food chain. As insectivores, they eat only insects, but any predator larger than them may try to eat the chameleons in the wild. A few common natural predators of the chameleon are the boomslang snake, vine snake, and cuckoo hawk.
Read ahead for more information on what animals eat chameleons.
Table of Contents
Chameleon Predators
In this section, we’ll discuss the common predators of chameleons.
The exact species of predators depend on the chameleon species and the environment, but the following categories of predators still apply to all.
Snakes
Snakes are one of the most common types of predators of the chameleon.
Especially in the African environments where the chameleons are found, snakes love to hunt down these little guys.
Climbing snakes, in particular, are a threat to chameleons.
Chameleons’ main defensive mechanisms are to climb, hide, and change color, which more closely matches the surrounding environment.
Climbing snakes can get right into where they hide and hunt them down.
In particular, the Boomslang and Vine snakes are known to make a regular meal out of the reptiles.
These snakes also spend a lot of time in trees and have instincts developed to help them watch for chameleons.
Ground snakes are also problematic for chameleons.
They like to eat the female chameleon when they come down to lay their eggs.
These snakes will also eat any chameleon eggs they find buried in the dirt.
Birds
Birds are the other big predator of the chameleon, although not as much as snakes.
Birds look for prey in the trees and lower foliage.
When they see a chameleon, they’ll swoop down and eat the reptiles.
Compared to snakes, birds make up a much smaller piece of the predators.
They have a harder time finding the color-changing reptiles who like to take refuge where the birds can’t see.
Any carnivorous bird will take a chameleon and eat it if it can carry the specific species.
Chameleon doesn’t have any physical defenses against these predators, such as the claws and hard mouths like others may have, so they must resort to hiding whenever possible.
The biggest bird threats to chameleons include shrikes, coucals, and hornbills.
These birds look for the smaller reptiles and have better eyesight suited to thwart the chameleon’s camouflage.
The Cuckoo Hawk is another common predator of the chameleon.
Birds will also take chameleon eggs if they find them left outside the burrow or unburied by snakes.
Mammals
Carnivorous mammals don’t always share the habitat of chameleons, so they don’t often prey on chameleons.
Monkeys have been known to eat the reptiles when they come across them, but this is rare.
Most mammals in the tropical habitat are too large to make chameleons a normal prey, or they aren’t tree-climbing mammals.
Often, there are better and easier sources of food for mammals, so it’s not common to see this.
Still, this doesn’t mean you should let your dog or cat play with your pet chameleon.
For one, it’ll stress out your reptile pet to no end.
For another, a cat or dog will occasionally eat chameleons if the opportunity presents itself.
Man
Humans don’t eat chameleons.
They’re not nutritious for us, and they’re fairly hard to find in the wild.
But, we are the biggest threat to the existence of chameleons.
Chameleons are fragile creatures extremely tied to their hot, humid, and tree-driven climates.
Many chameleons are extremely small and isolated in their island environments.
Moving them is almost impossible, and the creatures have proven difficult to relocate to any environment, no matter how similar.
Our destruction of their native environments through building and deforestation has resulted in the endangerment of many chameleons and the extinction of others.
Are Chameleons Endangered?
Not every one of the over 200 species of chameleons is endangered.
The largest varieties are considered safe.
This is because their hardier bodies allow them to relocate when needed and survive in a wider variety of climates.
The smaller varieties of chameleons are endangered, though.
It’s estimated 36% of these species are endangered and under severe threat of extinction.
This is due to the destruction of habitats and the changing climate.
Many of the sub-species of chameleons are restricted to a certain range and have evolved for a very specific climate and environment.
As the climate of the Earth changes as a whole and as humans cut down the natural forests for timber, these smaller and more fragile chameleons will go extinct.
This danger is representative of reptiles as a whole.
It’s also estimated 19% of all reptiles are in danger of going extinct due to the acts of humans.
Are Chameleons Poisonous?
There are no varieties of chameleons which are considered poisonous.
Many reptiles do have venom or poison they use as a defense or to aid in their hunting, but this isn’t the case with chameleons.
They can’t exude any venom or chemicals, and any animal can eat them without ill effect.
Their main defense is hiding in the trees and changing color.
Although they don’t change color specifically to camouflage, they do change color in response to stress and mood.
These color changes often help the chameleon to blend in as a side effect to this mood communication.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed learning a little about the life of chameleons and what animals eat chameleons.
Knowing these animals are often prey to every creature larger than it, you should make sure your pet isn’t exposed to any other carnivores.
Even though it may seem cute to let your chameleon and cat play together, it’s not a safe choice!
Protect your pet and enjoy your time with it.
