Despite having the ability to change its colour and blend in with its surroundings, the chameleon has recently been unmasked as African. For years debate raged about whether the invertebrate originated from Madagascar or Africa.
But now you no longer have to guess.
Major DNA research conducted by Krystal Tolley, the head of the molecular ecology programme at the South African National Botanical Institute, and colleagues Ted Townsend and Miguel Vences found the chameleon species came from Africa and dispersed to Madagascar more than 65million years ago. Some landed in the Seychelles. The research - Large-scale Phylogeny of Chameleons - suggests African origins and has been published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society journal.
"An African origin for chameleons is not only plausible, but is consistent with the fossil record, present day distributions and oceanographic processes," the research found.
"I was able to use these modern methods to try and understand chameleon history better," said Tolley.
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