Calotes versicolor

Ancient folklore says that if you are bitten by a crested snake, you will definitely die. However, up to now, no snake has been found in the world with a mortality rate of 100%.

After relevant investigations, it was reported that this crested snake may be a tiger-spotted neck snake or a chameleon tree lizard. The tiger-spotted neck snake has orange-red markings on its neck, which is similar to the color of a chicken's comb and may be mistaken for a chicken's comb. However, the lethality of this snake is not as great as that of the crested snake in the records. It is only a slightly venomous snake with the venom gland of the Daphnia.

The chameleon tree lizard is a national "three-protected" animal. It has a large head, a wide mouth, and small eyes. Its body is usually light brown or gray. Although it can change color, its color-changing ability is not as good as that of the chameleons of the Chamaeleonidae. It has strong mobility and runs fast, which is particularly prominent when chasing prey and escaping when frightened.

The chameleon tree lizard moves quickly and often climbs trees when chasing. When crawling, it often raises its head and can jump from one branch to another. When frightened, it can jump from a tree four or five meters high to the ground and escape into the grass. It is active from early March to the end of April, and hibernates in underground caves from early November to early March of the following year. In summer, they often sleep upside down on branches with their limbs clasped, or hide in caves.

The whole chameleon tree lizard is used as medicine. After removing the internal organs of the living individual, wash and dry it, spread it with bamboo strips, dry it over a slow fire or dry it in the sun, and use it as medicine for the traditional Chinese medicine horsehair snake. Analysis and research have shown that it contains proteins, peptides, multiple amino acids and enzymes. To make horsehair snake wine, use white wine with a degree of more than 50. For every 10 kilograms of wine, soak 40 snakes. A small amount of angelica can be added as a seasoning. It can be taken after 2-3 months. It has the effect of dispelling wind, removing dampness and strengthening muscles and bones. It is mainly used to treat rheumatism, back pain, leg pain, bone pain and other symptoms. The dosage is 50-100 ml. In Guangxi, China, the people peel the skin, head, tail, and internal organs of the chameleon tree lizard, cut it into pieces and steam it with lean pork to treat malnutrition and malnutrition in children.

Many people ask if they can be kept as pets? In fact, there are many parasites on chameleons, which can easily be transmitted to humans. In addition, chameleons have high requirements for the environment and need to keep the temperature at around 25-30℃, which makes them difficult to keep. In addition, chameleons like to bite people and chameleons are one of the national protected animals, so private breeding is not allowed.

Listed in the "National List of Terrestrial Wildlife with Important Economic and Scientific Research Value" issued by the State Forestry Administration of China on August 1, 2000.

Listed in the "China Biodiversity Red List - Vertebrate Volume" - Least Concern (LC).

Chameleon tree lizards are distributed in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, India (including the Andaman Islands, especially in mainland India), Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Myanmar, Thailand, West Malaysia, Maldives, Vietnam, China (Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Hainan), Indonesia (Sumatra), Mauritius (Reunion Island, Rodrigues Island). Later introduced to Oman, Kenya, Singapore and the United States. Chameleon tree lizards live in tropical and subtropical areas at an altitude of about 80-2000 meters. They are commonly seen under forests, in grass on hillsides, in cemeteries, by rivers, on roadsides, and even in grass or tree trunks near houses, and are most common in shrub forests.

The total length of male lizards is (103+305) mm, and that of female lizards is (103+306) mm. The back is light brown, gray, or with dark brown horizontal spots or short lines; there are 6-8 black radial lines around the eye sockets. Juveniles and female lizards often have two yellow dorsal stripes, and the tail has dark and light rings. The ventral surface is light white, often with black or dark brown stripes. The color may change in depth depending on the humidity of the environment and the intensity of light. In the reproductive season, the head, neck, shoulders, and sometimes the entire back of the male lizard are bright red, and there are scattered black spots on the neck, temporal, and throat. The body is flattened laterally, and the cross section of the trunk is slightly triangular. The head is longer than the head width, the forehead is relatively flat and slightly concave, the snout is blunt and flat, the snout length is slightly larger than the diameter of the eye socket, an