Here Is Something Green and No It Is Not A Chameleon

You won’t see this stunning green native lizard often as it has been steadily edged out of the ecosystem by the Changeable Lizard, an introduce species.

The plight of the Green Crested Lizard is but one of the many examples of how introduced species can push native species to extinction.

These days, our local bright green lizard can only be seen in nature reserves. Even here, the chances of seeing a Changeable Lizard are higher.

And folks these lizards are not chameleons. I once received a frantic SMS from a friend asking me where she could find chameleons in Singapore for her daughter to view She vaguely recalled seeing green lizards in her garden when young and assumed that they were chameleons because they changed color. Even though both the Green Crested and Changeable Lizards do change color but they aren’t chameleons.

Chameleons are found in Africa, Madagascar, Spain and Portugal, across South Asia, to Sri Lanka but not in South East Asia. They are slow moving lizards while the two South East Asian species are nimble and fast.