Q 01/05

Roughly how many chameleon species had been described as of 2015?

A) About 200

B) About 20

C) About 50

D) About 2,000

Answer · why

A) About 200

That makes chameleons a modest family among the 7,000-plus lizard species, but an unusually distinctive one.

Q 02/05

About half of all chameleon species are found only on which island?

A) Borneo

B) Sri Lanka

C) Madagascar

D) New Guinea

Answer · why

C) Madagascar

Despite that, genetic work suggests the family arrived by two separate ocean crossings rather than evolving there.

Q 03/05

Chameleons have been introduced to which two places outside their native range?

A) Japan and Taiwan

B) Hawaii and Florida

C) Australia and New Zealand

D) Mexico and Cuba

Answer · why

B) Hawaii and Florida

Florida alone now has six invasive chameleon species thanks to the pet trade, and hobbyists go out hunting for them to sell.

Q 04/05

The chameleon's grasping tail is often nicknamed what?

A) A safety rope

B) A rudder

C) A fifth limb

D) A second tongue

Answer · why

C) A fifth limb

Arboreal species use it as an extra anchor point while climbing; ground-dwelling species like the Namaqua chameleon have much shorter tails.

Q 05/05

The Greek roots of the word 'chameleon' translate literally as what?

A) Ground lion

B) Colour changer

C) Tree lizard

D) Slow walker

Answer · why

A) Ground lion

The Greek was itself a translation of the Akkadian 'nesh qaqqari', which means the same thing.