Most chameleons are insectivorous, i.e. they feed on insects, arachnids, arthropods and other small animals. Depending on their size, their diet can range from flies, moths, wasps, butterflies and grasshoppers to praying mantises or spiders. Small, ground-dwelling chameleons in particular also feed on woodlice, springtails and aphids. The largest chameleons, on the other hand, do not spurn the occasional small bird or gecko. As many travellers and chameleon keepers have observed, chameleons are opportunists when it comes to food. If a young chameleon is nearby and it would fit well in their mouth, they will sometimes shoot a much smaller fellow chameleon off a branch and eat it. Fortunately, this is not the rule. A few chameleon species are also known to eat plant leaves from time to time. For centuries, chameleons were thought to be pure ambush hunters. In fact, this is not quite true. They are so-called “cruise foragers”, that don’t just wait in one place for food, but go hunting at a very leisurely pace.

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Picture: Chamaeleo chamaeleon schießt ein Insekt in Kapıçam National Park, Türkei; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, fotografiert von Mkrc85