For nearly 150 years, zoologists have taken the Pinocchio chameleon (Caluma gallus) at face value.. However, a recent reexamination detailed in Salamandra, the German Journal of Herpetology reveals that the chameleon is actually multiple species with elongated snouts worthy of the nickname.
Over 40 percent of the 236 known chameleon species around the world live on the island of Madagascar located off the East African coast. The reptiles are often recognizable for a variety of reasons, including their ballistic tongue they use to slurp up prey, their color changing abilities , and their independently mobile eyes that give them stereoscopic vision. But the male Pinocchio chameleon specifically possesses yet another striking trait: a bumpy and very lengthy nose.
