The Carpet Chameleon is also known as the Jeweled Chameleon. They are native to Africa and exist in three subspecies, which vary greatly in size. Carpet Chameleons in captivity that are wild-caught have a very high mortality rate between importation and deparasitization.

The Carpet Chameleon's diet in the wild consists primarily of insects, particularly those that reside in the shrubs and small trees in which the chameleon makes its home. Some of its preferred foods are flies, crickets, grasshoppers, and insect larvae. Using its wonderful eyesight, the Carpet Chameleon slowly creeps through the branches, getting as close as possible to its prey, before capturing it with its sticky tongue. The Carpet Chameleon is arboreal, spending most of its time in trees, and diurnal, meaning it is active during the day. At the beginning of the day, the Carpet Chameleon takes on a dark color and exposes as much surface area as possible to the sun to warm up. When they are as warm as they want to be, they usually hunt for the rest of the day. Male Carpet Chameleons will hiss and change colors to scare off other males who they think are infringing on their territory. They will also scare away females, if it is not breeding season. The Carpet Chameleon is a creature of habit. They usually follow the same routine daily and will even sleep on the same branch every night. Carpet Chameleons usually live in areas with some shade and high humidity at altitudes of between 600 and 1200 meters.

Three subspecies of Carpet Chameleons exist that range in size from six inches to fourteen inches. Like the size, the coloration also varies greatly between lizards. Male Carpet chameleons often appear in a bright green shade with markings of blue, white, and/or yellow with a white lateral stripe running down each side of their body. Females are often similarly colored to males. When they are unreceptive towards males, they become black with yellow, green, red, blue, and orange markings. The smallest subspecies has brighter coloring than the other two species.

Carpet Chameleons have very short life spans and rarely live longer than about three years. They are native to Madagascar, off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. Much of their natural habitat has been destroyed. Carpet Chameleons are quite adaptable and are doing very well in gardens in the large cities of Madagascar. Carpet Chameleons are fairly popular chameleons and are often bred in captivity. Wild-caught Carpet Chameleons are rarely healthy and quite often do not survive long in captivity.

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Because the lifespan of the Carpet Chameleon is so short, they mature very quickly and are usually sexually mature by about three months of age. Males usually try to lure females into their territory, where they mate. After breeding, the female will lay her eggs in approximately eight weeks. The female digs a shallow depression in the ground into which she lays a clutch consisting of between 8 and 23 eggs. The clutch size varies depending on the size of the chameleon. Female Carpet Chameleons can lay as many as three clutches a year. The eggs hatch after about six months of incubation at around 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius). If no male is available, females may lay unfertilized eggs.