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What the sources say

Veiled ChameleonChamaeleo calyptratus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Veiled Chameleon profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 49 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Chamaeleo calyptratus (veiled chameleon). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysShy, but Aggressive to Its Own Kind
The source saysVeiled chameleons are shy in nature ... However, veiled chameleons are very aggressive towards each otherNote: section heading
The page saysThe casque starts as a tiny swelling on a hatchling and grows to two inches tall
The source saysThey have a casque found on top of their heads, which is a tiny swelling when a hatchling, but grows to two inches in height
The page saysmature males have a larger casque and body
The source saysMales have a larger body and casque (head crest or helmet) when mature
The page saysIt prefers to live high up in trees or lower down in bushes and shrubs
The source saysthey prefer to live high up in trees or lower near the ground in bushes and shrubs
The page saysone of the few chameleons that also eats plants
The source saysthey are one of the few chameleons that also enjoy the taste of plants
The page saysIt adapted to eating leaves as a source of water in the dry seasons.
The source saysThey adapted to eating leaves of plants as a source of water during the dry seasons
The page saysVeiled chameleons are shy by nature
The source saysVeiled chameleons are shy in nature
The page sayswhen startled or threatened, one may curl up tightly, darken in color, and play dead
The source saysWhen startled or feeling threatened they may curl into a tight fetal position, darken in color, and "play possum"Note: 'play dead' is the plain meaning of 'play possum'
The page saysToward each other they are very aggressive, and they prefer to live alone.
The source saysveiled chameleons are very aggressive towards each other. They prefer to live a solitary life
The page saysMales are very territorial.
The source saysMales are very territorial
The page saysMales and females only tolerate each other when ready to breed.
The source saysMales and females only tolerate each other when ready to breed.

Source
02

Maddox, Beloyan, Claunch & Johnson 2022

Maddox, Beloyan, Claunch & Johnson (2022). Florida's Nonnative Herpetofauna: Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus), Oustalet's Chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti), and Panther Chameleon (Furcifer pardalis). EDIS.

The page saysHigh, dry plateaus, forests and river valleys of Yemen and southwestern Saudi Arabia
The source sayssouthwestern Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen, occupying a variety of habitats including high and dry plateaus, forests, and river valleysNote: stats.habitat
The page saysA Helmet on Its Head
The source sayshelmet-like structure on its headNote: section heading
The page sayscarries a very high, triangular casque, a helmet-like crest on top of its head
The source saysvery high and triangular ... helmet-like structure on its head
The page saysNose to tail-tip, adults reach 12 to 18 inches long
The source saysAdult veiled chameleons range from 12 to 18 inches in total length (i.e., including the tail)
The page saysIts native home is southwestern Saudi Arabia and Yemen, where it lives on high, dry plateaus and in forests and river valleys
The source sayssouthwestern Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen, occupying a variety of habitats including high and dry plateaus, forests, and river valleys
The page saysCarried abroad by the pet trade, it is known to live in isolated populations in southern Florida and on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
The source saysthe three species currently established in Florida were imported by the exotic pet industry ... All three chameleon species are known to occur in isolated populations within the southern half of the FloridaNote: Florida half; the Maui half is the hisc-veiled-chameleon claim below
The page saysa sit-and-wait hunter
The source saysThey are sit-and-wait predatorsNote: vibe.reason, settle #271: replaces 'kaleidoscopic spatial color shifts'

Source
03

Hawaii Invasive Species Council, Department of Land and Natural Resources

Veiled Chameleon. Hawaii Invasive Species Council, Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The page saysA veiled chameleon can live four to eight years.
The source saysVeiled chameleons can live four to eight years
The page saysA veiled chameleon eats mainly insects
The source saysPrey primarily on insects
The page saysCarried abroad by the pet trade, it is known to live in isolated populations in southern Florida and on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
The source saysthey were illegally introduced to Hawaii via the pet trade ... Maui: Populations have been found in UpcountryNote: Maui half; the Florida half is the edis-2022 claim above

Source
04

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Chameleon. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The page sayseyes that look two ways at once
The source sayslook at two different objects at the same timeNote: tagline; SDZ states this for chameleons in general, and the veiled chameleon is one
The page saysa casque that collects water
The source saysThe casque acts like a water collectorNote: tagline; SDZ's water-catching casque paragraph names the veiled chameleon
The page saysInsects, plus leaves and flowers
The source saysVeiled chameleons are omnivores, eating insects, leaves, and flowersNote: stats.diet; SDZ names the veiled chameleon here, unlike its family-wide locusts and crickets list
The page saysThat tall crest, called a casque, acts like a water collector.
The source saysThe casque acts like a water collector
The page saysVeiled chameleons live in the mountain regions of Yemen and Saudi Arabia, where there is very little water
The source saysThe veiled chameleon is a large chameleon found in the mountain regions of Yemen and Saudi Arabia where there is very little water
The page saysat night, droplets of moisture roll down the casque and into the chameleon's open mouth
The source saysat night, droplets of moisture roll down the casque and into the chameleon's open mouth
The page saysAt night, droplets of moisture roll down the casque and into the chameleon's open mouth.
The source saysat night, droplets of moisture roll down the casque and into the chameleon's open mouth
The page saysit can rotate and focus each eye separately to look at two different things at the same time, giving it a full 360-degree view around its body
The source saysThe chameleon can rotate and focus its eyes separately to look at two different objects at the same time! This gives it a full 360-degree view around its bodyNote: family-wide on SDZ, so the page says 'Like other chameleons'
The page saysWhen it sees prey, both eyes can focus in the same direction for a clearer view.
The source saysWhen the chameleon sees prey, both eyes can focus in the same direction to get a clearer view
The page saysA Head That Catches Its Own Water
The source saysThe casque acts like a water collectorNote: blockquote lead-in
The page saysEyes on Two Targets at Once
The source sayslook at two different objects at the same timeNote: section heading
The page saysThese are mountain regions with very little water
The source saysfound in the mountain regions of Yemen and Saudi Arabia where there is very little waterNote: SDZ's sentence names the veiled chameleon
The page saysIn chameleons, the tip of the tongue is a ball of muscle that rapidly forms a small suction cup as it hits its prey.
The source saysThe end of the tongue is a ball of muscle, and as it hits its prey, it rapidly forms a small suction cupNote: family-wide on SDZ, so worded for chameleons in general
The page saysOnce the prey sticks, the chameleon draws it back into its mouth.
The source saysOnce the prey sticks to the tongue, the chameleon draws it back into the mouth
The page saystaking leaves and flowers
The source saysVeiled chameleons are omnivores, eating insects, leaves, and flowers

Source
05

Anderson 2016

Anderson (2016). Off like a shot: scaling of ballistic tongue projection reveals extremely high performance in small chameleons. Scientific Reports.

The page saysA tongue that can shoot to full length in 26 milliseconds
The source says26.3/39.3Note: tagline. Chamaeleo calyptratus row of Table 1, column 'Min./max. Min. projection duration (ms)': 26.3 is the fastest individual. Projection duration is measured 'between the onset of tongue projection ... and the time the tongue reached maximal projection distance', hence 'to full length'; 26 rounds down from 26.3, and 'can' keeps the source's minimum
The page saysAn elastic tongue that can accelerate at more than 50 times the pull of gravity
The source says305/514Note: stats.superpower. Chamaeleo calyptratus row of Table 1, column 'Min./max. Max. peak acceleration (m s-2)'; 514 / 9.80665 = 52.4 g, the conversion the paper uses (2,590 m s-2 = 264 g)
The page saysreach full length in under 30 milliseconds
The source says26.3/39.3Note: stats.superpower; fastest individual 26.3 ms, Table 1 Chamaeleo calyptratus row, 'Min. projection duration (ms)'
The page saysA 2016 study that filmed 20 chameleon species
The source saysperformance was examined during feeding among 20 chameleon species in nine generaNote: publication year 2016 from the reference metadata (Sci Rep 6, 18625, 2016); filmed with a high-speed camera per the methods and acknowledgments
The page saysmeasured the veiled chameleon's tongue accelerating at up to 514 meters per second squared, more than 50 times the pull of gravity
The source says305/514Note: Chamaeleo calyptratus row of Table 1 (Min./max. Max. peak acceleration, m s-2); 514 / 9.80665 = 52.4 g. Same wording in the body and FAQ 1
The page saysreaching full length in as little as 26 milliseconds
The source says26.3/39.3Note: Chamaeleo calyptratus row of Table 1 (Min./max. Min. projection duration, ms), measured from onset of projection to maximal projection distance; 26 rounds down from 26.3
The page saysChameleons do not fire their tongues with muscle power alone.
The source saysChameleons employ such a mechanism to ballistically project their tongue up to two body lengths, achieving power outputs nearly three times greater than those possible via muscle contraction
The page saysThey stretch elastic tissue and use its recoil, which releases energy more rapidly than muscles contracting directly could.
The source saysStretching elastic tissues and using their recoil to power movement allows organisms to release energy more rapidly than by muscle contraction directly
The page saysA Spring-Loaded Tongue
The source saysStretching elastic tissues and using their recoil to power movementNote: section heading; 'spring-loaded' for stored elastic recoil
The page sayswhose tongue fires on elastic recoil
The source saysStretching elastic tissues and using their recoil to power movementNote: vibe.reason, settle #271; 26 ms is covered by the body claim of the same wording

Source
06

Herrel et al. 2014

Herrel et al. (2014). The scaling of tongue projection in the veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus. Zoology.

The page saysChameleons can grow up to 100 times heavier within a year of hatching.
The source saysWithin a year of hatching, chameleons can grow by up to two orders of magnitude in body massNote: two orders of magnitude = 100 times; scope kept at 'chameleons' as the abstract words it
The page saysOne study filmed 12 veiled chameleons of different sizes, from about 1 gram to 200 grams.
The source saysthe veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus. The chameleons used in this study varied in size from approximately 3 to 18 cm SVL (1-200 g). Feeding sequences of 12 chameleons of different sizes were filmed

Source
07

Wilms, Sindaco & Shobrak 2012

Wilms, Sindaco & Shobrak (2012). Chamaeleo calyptratus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T176306A1437838.

The page saysThe IUCN lists the species as Least Concern.
The source saysLeast Concern (LC)Note: category read from GBIF's current copy of the Red List, so it is the standing listing

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.