Trioceros jacksonii
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey (from a photograph by Frank Glaw, Jörn Köhler, Ted M. Townsend & Miguel Vences) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Jackson's chameleon (Trioceros jacksonii), also known commonly as Jackson's horned chameleon, the three-horned chameleon, and the Kikuyu three-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to East Africa, and introduced to Hawaii, Florida, and California. There are three recognized subspecies.
Jackson's chameleon was described by Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1896. The generic name, Trioceros, is derived from the Greek τρί- (tri-) meaning "three" and κέρας (kéras) meaning "horns". This is in reference to the three horns found on the heads of males.
The specific name, jacksonii, is a Latinized form of the last name of English explorer and ornithologist Frederick John Jackson, who was serving as the first Governor of Kenya at the time of Boulenger's description.
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii Volcanoes National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toledo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Parc Zoologique et Botanique de Mulhouse | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Melbourne Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Schönbrunn Zoo | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 6 | Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Akron Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Santillana Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Zoo Boise | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | DMM Kariyushi Aquarium | 🇯🇵 Japan |
No species of the same family or order lives in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Jackson's Chameleon sighting in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on a given day, based on 70 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 6 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and May–July
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Jackson's Chameleon in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on a given day, against about 20% in November, the lowest month.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Jackson's Chameleon sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Jackson's Chameleon sightings, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 50%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Jackson's Chameleon is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (70 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
