A Beautiful Montane Side-Striped Chameleon, Trioceros ellioti from Uganda

Montane Side-Striped Chameleon, Trioceros ellioti, Zziba, Uganda, July 2025

Trioceros ellioti is a small, montane, live-bearing chameleon distributed across East Africa, notably in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, occupying elevations between 1200–1800 m. It exhibits high intraspecific color polymorphism, with phenotypic variation even within localized populations. Males and females lack pronounced sexual dimorphism. 

The species is viviparous, with females capable of storing sperm and producing multiple clutches post-copulation. Known for its gular grooves colored in many populations black. T. ellioti belongs to the bitaeniatus group, though its phylogenetic placement remains debated due to unresolved paraphyly within Trioceros. 

Captive husbandry requires cool ambient temperatures (~22°C), high nocturnal humidity and significant temperature drop, and UVB exposure. Behavioral tolerance is moderate, but conspecific aggression can be sudden and severe.

Photo courtesy Volker Sthammer