Horncrest Chameleon

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Horncrest Chameleon
The Horncrest Chameleon's model from Skull Island
Alternate names Killer Chameleon,[1] Deathmeleon
Class-
ification
Venusta lacerta[2]
Species Giant chameleon superspecies[2]
Dimensions 30-40 feet (with tail curled)[2]
Place(s) of emergence Skull Island
Allies Other Horncrest Chameleons
Enemies King Kong, Hawk Monster, island girl, Sker Buffalo
Written by Brian Duffield
Designed by Jung-Ha Kim, Craig Nowicki,
Willis Bulliner[1]
First appearance Skull Island episode 7, "You're Not a King, You're Just a Stupid Animal"
Roar(s)
More roars

The Horncrest Chameleon is a reptilian superspecies[2] that appears in episode 7 of the 2023 Netflix Original animated Monsterverse series Skull Island, entitled "You're Not a King, You're Just a Stupid Animal." Three Horncrest Chameleons made their presence known to Kong, the Hawk Monster, and a Skull Islander after they killed a Sker Buffalo and left its carcass to rot. Kong and the islander fought the chameleons as they attempted to hunt the latter.

Name

Though never named onscreen, the creatures are labeled "Killer Chameleons" in Powerhouse Animation's model sheets.[1] They were later identified in Kong: Skull Island - Creature Codex as Horncrest Chameleons.[2]

Design

Horncrest Chameleons are large, carnivorous chameleons. They have a large spiked crest on their heads, small sharp teeth, spiked forelimbs, and a curled tail. The Horncrest Chameleons have large eyelids with small brown eyes in the center. Their legs sport three toes each and they assume a quadrupedal stance. They have a long, spiked and prehensile tongue that is purple in color. The Horncrest Chameleons' base color is a moss green, however they are able to change into various colors for camouflage, including gray, red, brown, purple, and orange. Their blood is blue.

Behavior

Like the Skullcrawlers, the Horncrest Chameleons are deadly predators of Skull Island who hunt in packs and relentlessly pursue their prey even in life-threatening situations.

History

Monsterverse

Skull Island

"You're Not a King, You're Just a Stupid Animal"

After the Hawk Monster spotted the carcass of a Sker Buffalo, Kong decided to hunt the perpetrators alongside with a Spanish Skull Islander. The two arrived at a canyon ledge, where they observed three Horncrest Chameleons eating a creature's carcass. Despite the islander's protests, the ape grabbed a boulder and dropped it on one of the chameleons' tail, trapping it. The Chameleon screeched out in pain as Kong leaped down the canyon. Kong grabbed two bones fashioned as makeshift blades. As the monsters prepared to fight, one of the chameleons spotted the islander and proceeded to run up the canyon wall. The ape Titan threw the bones at the pursuing Horncrest Chameleon but missed. Worried, the ape attempted to give chase, but was stopped by another one of the reptiles.

The pursuing chameleon successfully made it to the top of the canyon, alerting Kong as he fought the other Horncrest Chameleon. Just as the Skull Islander was about to throw her spear, the chameleon dodged before launching its tongue at her. The islander dodged and impaled the tongue, pinning it to the ground. As the Chameleon attempted to free itself, it knocked her off the ledge with its tail. As Kong restrained a Horncrest Chameleon using a bone, he spotted the islander falling. The ape roared and grabbed the chameleon by the neck before knocking it away with the bone. Kong attempted to catch the falling islander and leaped up the sediment wall, but missed. After the Hawk Monster caught the islander, a Horncrest Chameleon clawed into Kong's leg. The ape Titan roared as the chameleon climbed on him and pushed him down. The two monsters fell and proceeded to fight. The Horncrest Chameleon leaped at Kong but was punched into a boulder by the ape. Kong grabbed the reptile by the tail and slammed it repeatedly on the ground, incapacitating it. The ape then slammed the reptile against the trapped chameleon and crushed the latter using the same boulder it was stuck under.

The Horncrest Chameleon on the canyon ledge, having freed itself, then leaped and attacked the Hawk Monster, angering Kong. Before Kong could intervene, a chameleon leaped onto his back and bit his shoulder, drawing blood. Kong slammed the reptile against the sediment wall as the other Horncrest Chameleon bit onto the Hawk Monsters' leg. The avian monster then performed an aerial maneuver, causing the Chameleon to lose its grip and fall. As it fell, however, it launched its tongue at the Skull Islander, bringing her down with it. The chameleon landed on a sharp bone, impaling it. Still alive, it continued its attempt to catch the islander using its tongue. Kong repeatedly slammed the other Horncrest Chameleon against the sediment wall. The ape grabbed the reptile and punched it before killing it by slamming it against the wall again. As the other chameleon kept trying to catch Kong's ally, the sediment wall began to crumble. Large chunks of rock buried the chameleon, finally killing it.

Abilities

Physical capabilities

The Horncrest Chameleons primarily fight using their teeth and use their claws to grip onto surfaces. They are strong enough to bring down prey as large as Sker Buffalo, and a single individual was capable of tackling Kong to the ground. Their teeth are sharp enough to draw blood from him and their tails are strong enough to send smaller foes flying. They possess a prehensile tongue used for catching prey, which can reach over long distances.

Agility

Horncrest Chameleons are shown to be very agile. They can scale large sediment walls in a matter of seconds and dodge with adept speed, even managing to dodge two rib bones thrown by Kong.

Camouflage

The Horncrest Chameleons are capable of camouflaging to blend in with their environment as a defense mechanism and to reflect their emotions. They are able to quickly switch from color to color. Two of them changed to orange when Kong waged battle with them.

Durability

Possessing impressive durability, the chameleons are capable of taking immense damage while still being able to fight. One survived having a massive boulder dropped on its tail. Another chameleon was able to withstand being slammed against hard surfaces repeatedly by Kong, while another was able to survive after its body was impaled on a rib-bone, the latter of which was still able to function and kept trying to catch the islander it pursued.

Weaknesses

One Horncrest Chameleon screeched in pain when Kong dropped a boulder on its tail. Another did the same, in addition to switching its colors between green and orange, when the Skull Islander girl plunged her spear through its tongue. The first individual was finally killed when Kong rolled the boulder pinning it down completely over its body. The second individual that physically attacked Kong was bashed against a canyon wall to death. The third individual was impaled through the chest following a tremendous fall and couldn't save itself from being buried beneath the debris of the collapsing canyon wall.

Gallery

Main article: Horncrest Chameleon/Gallery.

Roar

Horncrest Chameleon roars

Trivia

  • One of the creatures meant to appear in the scrapped film Bride of Godzilla? was a gigantic chameleon.

References

This is a list of references for Horncrest Chameleon. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 @powerhouseanim (29 June 2023). "Creature designs for the Killer Chameleons & Skull Crawlers (previously seen in Kong: Skull Island!) & the artists behind them: Killer Chameleon Main Design: @TOKIBEAST Alternate Chameleon Colors Visdev: @WickiToons, @willisbull Skull Crawler Main Design: @TOKIBEAST". Twitter.
    Skull Island Killer Chameleon model sheet.jpgSkull Island Killer Chameleon model sheet 2.jpg
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Rowan-Nelson & Ramsley 2025, p. 29

Bibliography

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