What Do Chameleons Eat? 20 Foods in Their Diet

Chameleons (Chamaeleonidae) are a source of wonder due to their remarkable ability to blend into the environment around them. The skin of these reptiles consists of one superficial layer, beneath which are cells containing nanoscale guanine crystals. These photonic crystals can change colors, making it easier for chameleons to hunt prey and hide from predators. They are known for growing throughout their lives and shedding their skin in parts, unlike snakes, which shed their skin all at once. Chameleons have a prehensile tail that they use to wrap around a tree branch to keep them secure. Though most chameleons live in Africa and Madagascar, some species are found in Southern Europe and Asia. So what do these color-changing lizards eat?

What Do Chameleons Eat?

What do chameleons eat? Chameleons are insectivorous reptiles that commonly eat insects, including crickets, grasshoppers, and flies. However, when insect resources are scarce, or they need a vitamin boost, chameleons will consume vegetation, but plant matter is not a primary component of their diet.

A List of What Chameleons Eat

As mentioned, chameleons are principally insectivores. Larger chameleons will eat small birds and other small reptiles. Chameleons eat:

• Grasshoppers
• Cockroaches
• Crickets
• Silkworms
• Flies
• Cicadas
• Snails
• Plant matter
• Lettuce
• Mice
• Mango
• Locusts
• Worms
• Caterpillars
• Berries
• Carrots
• Apples
• Bananas
• Persimmons
• Dandelions

What Do Different Types of Chameleons Eat?

What a chameleon eats depends on its size. Smaller species like the veiled chameleon consume primarily small insects and vegetation. Larger chameleons like the Malagasy giant chameleon can eat larger insects, small birds, and other reptiles.

How Much Do Chameleons Eat?

The amount of food that chameleons consume depends on their age.

Until their first birthday, chameleons require more food than adults. In the wild, their food variety can be scarce, so they will eat as much as they can when they can find it. While in captivity, baby chameleons eat anywhere from 12 to 18 small insects a day, usually spread out into two feedings.

Adult chameleons are opportunistic eaters in the wild, which means they feed as often as they can find prey. If they can’t find food, they can survive for many weeks without eating as long as they have access to water. Captive chameleons consume 3 to 4 insects a day.

Chameleons do not drink water from pools on the forest floor in the wild or from dishes of water in captivity. Instead, they prefer to drink water droplets from leaves or water that drips from leaves after a rainstorm.

How Do Chameleons Hunt?

Chameleons have excellent eyesight that allows them to see their prey from up to 10 yards away. Their eyes also move independently of one another, which allows them a nearly 360° view of the world around them, which helps them locate prey.

Chameleons move very slowly as they approach their prey. Once they close enough, they quickly shoot out their sticky tongues to capture their meal in a snap. Some chameleons, especially smaller species, have tongues that can extend up to twice the length of their bodies, while for most species, the tongue is about as long as the body or slightly longer, and moves with amazing speed.