Habitat Veiled chameleons are arboreal lizards, meaning they prefer to live high up in trees or lower near the ground in bushes and shrubs. They can live in dry areas and are found on plateaus of mountainous regions, forests and valleys of southern Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Conservation Wild chameleon populations are experiencing growing pressures on a variety of fronts, causing some environmentalists to sound alarms concerning the long-term survival of these animals. It is yet to be seen whether these chameleons will be able to withstand large-scale commercial exploitation and extensive habitat loss. Growing human populations in their native habitat causes increasing competition for economic resources.
Land is consumed to house growing human populations.
Land previously considered sacred is cleared, burned, mined or logged to exploit natural resource for its current economic value. Chameleon populations are ultra-sensitive to the problems associated with habitat loss. Due to their slow-moving nature, and their inability to relocate quickly, chameleons have evolved in small, often isolated pockets. To these small, isolated populations, habitat loss can prove to be disastrous. Chameleons are exploited by the locals in their native habitat, and by foreigners.