Oustalet's Chameleon

This animal is not currently on exhibit in the rainforest.

The Oustalet’s chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti), also known as the Malagasy giant chameleon, lives a mostly sedentary life. It moves very slowly, or not at all, for long stretches of time; this enables it to conserve energy and stay out of view of predators—and also to be a predator itself. When an unsuspecting insect, lizard, or small bird happens by, its extremely long, suction-cup-tipped tongue darts out to snare the meal-to-be. The tongue, which is spring-loaded and shoots forward much like a bow from an arrow, can extend to nearly twice the length of the entire chameleon.

The Oustalet chameleon has a crest of small, triangular spikes running down the length of its back and a long, prehensile tail that it can wrap around branches, use as a counterbalance, or simply curl into a scaly spiral. It also has a third eye on top of its head, although this functions more like a light meter than an instrument of high-definition vision.

This Malagasy giant clocks in as the second heaviest chameleon on Earth, and likely the longest. It’s generally a solitary creature, showing aggression toward other chameleons via rapid color changes and confrontational posturing. It was even recently discovered to be omnivorous (instead of exclusively carnivorous, as was long assumed), as it's partial to munching on certain native shrubs.