Chamaeleo africanus found in Greece outside Pylos

Chamaeleo africanus found in Greece outside Pylos

by Alex Negro Verbreitung Science

It has long been known that Chamaeleo africanus occurs in the lagoon of Gialova, in the Pylos region (Greece). It differs not only visually but also genetically from Chamaeleo chameleon, which is relatively widespread in southern Europe. There have been sporadic reports of other occurrences of Chamaeleo africanus in Greece, but until now there has been no scientific evidence of the species in areas other than Pylos.

Scientists have now identified a second population of the species. They found at least seven individuals of the species about 130 km north of the Gialova lagoon on the Peloponnese. The chameleons live in a Natura 2000 area called Limnothalassa Kalogrias /Dasos Strogylias Kai Elos Lamias. A young animal was sampled via cheek swab to genetically confirm the species Chamaeleo africanus.

Genetic evidence for the presence of Chamaeleo africanus in Greece outside the Pylos region
Erika Lego, Maria Koutsokali, Michael Valachas
Conservation Genetics Resourecs 18(5), 2026
DOI: 0.1007/s12686-026-01409-w
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Photo: Chamaeleo africanus, photographed by Benny Trapp, CC BY-SA 3.0

Eagle owl captures chameleon

Eagle owl captures chameleon

by Alex Negro Beobachtungen Science

The eagle owl (Bubo bubo) is the largest native owl in Europe and has a large range that extends as far as Greece. It is not only very adaptable in terms of the habitat it uses, but also in terms of its prey. Known and common prey in the Mediterranean region include small to medium-sized mammals and other smaller birds. Ampihibians, reptiles, fish and invertebrates such as insects are also preyed upon, but have always been considered more of a stopgap, especially in areas of Greece where there is a lack of larger prey.

Greek authors recently made a very special observation on the prey spectrum of the owl species in the area around Pylos in the western Peloponnese. In July 2024, the authors observed an eagle owl hunting in the early morning. To their surprise, it preyed on a Chamaeleo africanus. This is the first published observation of an eagle owl preying on a chameleon. Further research on this would be desirable, as there is a general lack of data on the prey spectrum of eagle owls in the Peloponnese.

An exceptionally rare predation on a chameleon species (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae) by a Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Aves: Strigidae)
Apostolos Christopoulos, Luca Cornacchia, Christos Kotselis, Yiannis G. Zevgolis
Diversity 17, 2025: 333
DOI: 10.3390/d17050333

Photo: from the publication mentioned