All chameleons are found in the Old World, but most live in Madagascar and Africa. The rest are found in the Middle East, a few on islands in the Indian Ocean, and one, the Indian chameleon, in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Another, the common chameleon, is native to Spain, Portugal, the islands in the Mediterranean Sea, and in the Near East.
Chameleons live in a variety of habitats, from rain forests and lowlands to deserts, semi-deserts, scrub savannas, and even on mountains. Many inhabit trees, but some live in grass or on small bushes, fallen leaves, or dry branches.
Namaqua chameleons live in Africa’s Namib Desert, where they dig holes in sand dunes to escape the extreme heat and cold. Sail-fin chameleons inhabit the montane forests of Cameroon, in West Africa, where mountains rise to cloud level and are shrouded in fog; it’s a cool, wet, dripping place of little sun.
- See more at: http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/chameleon#sthash.aBsxb6Jz.dpuf