Habitat and Distribution Chameleons are found in varying habitats throughout Africa, parts of Asia, the Seychelles, and Southern Spain. Climactic conditions where they are found range from hot and dry areas bordering the Sahara, to cool, lush, and wet regions of Cameroon where rain is almost constantly falling. Most species of chameleons, however, live in temperate rainforests where water is abundant and temperatures moderate. The island of Madagascar, off the East Coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, is home to about half of all species of chameleons. On this island, they range in size from the smallest chameleon, and one the world's smallest land vertebrates, Brookesia minima, at under and inch long full grown, to the world's largest, Chamaeleo parsonii, which can reach up to three feet long in adult hood. The climate of this island ranges from the cool tropical mountain regions, to hot and dry thorn forests. Chameleons are found throughout these varying habitats.