Panther Chameleon
Scientific Classification & Quick Facts
| Common name | Panther chameleon |
| Scientific name | Furcifer pardalis |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Squamata |
| Family | Chamaeleonidae |
| Genus | Furcifer |
| Conservation status | Least Concern |
| Type | Reptile; colour-changing chameleon |
| Diet | Crickets, superworms, hornworms, roaches and other insects |
| Habitat | Open lowland areas with dry deciduous trees |
| Native range | Madagascar |
| Colours | Many colours and patterns; females paler green or pink |
| Special feature | Egg-carrying females turn dark with an orange stripe |
Come in a Brilliant Range of Patterns and Colors
Furcifer pardalis, more often known as panther chameleon, inhabit the island of Madagascar. You find them spread all over the island, but you will find these in abundance in the central-eastern, northern, northeastern and northwestern coasts.
Anatomy
Adult panther chameleons come in a range of patterns and colors. You can recognize females by their more uniformly pale green or pink color, smaller size and their having thinner tail base, and at times with eggs noticeable throughout the body walls. Adult females may attain a length of up to 23 cm, while males are considerably longer, reaching 40 cm or more.
Habitat
Furcifer pardalis mostly inhabits lowland, dry deciduous trees in the neighborhood of thin belt of trees neighboring rivers and roads. This particular genus rather prefers open habitats that are not too shaded.
Behavior
Panther Chameleon, like the great majority of chameleons, has an introverted and defensive habit, irrespective of age or sex. Males are likely to have bigger home ranges, compared to females. Habitually, males will not tolerate other males marching into their resident bush or tree and will defend their terrain by engaging in a show, chase, probably harshly injuring a pushy male.
As a Pet
Housing
- For adolescents- use a cage of size 16 x 16 x 20” height
- For adult males- Cage size 18 x 18 x 36” height
- For adult females- 16 x 16 x 30” height
- Larger cages serve your pets better
- Decorate the cages with nontoxic plants and diverse vines or sticks
Substrate
You should completely avoid substrates as it makes cleaning of your chameleon cage difficult and provides an unnecessary hiding place for insects. Should you insist on having a substrate, keep it simple, using newspapers or paper towels.
Lighting and Temperature
Adult Panther Chameleon needs a place for lazing around at 100 degrees F and ambient temperature of 75-85° F. Smaller chameleons willingly accept ambient temperature nearing 75° F
Water and Humidity
For proper panther chameleon care, you must take care to mist the cage of your wonderful pets at least twice or thrice a day to keep up the humidity around the required 60-70 percent rating. Remember that these chameleons love to drink water.
Food
They prefer a varied diet. Crickets make their staple food, but you should always offer super worms, hornworms, wax worms, silkworms, stick bugs and roaches to your panther chameleons. Make sure to feed gut-loaded insects. You would also need to dust your insects with vitamin powders. You can give them calcium thrice a week and calcium with D3 once a week.
Breeding
At seven months, most panther chameleons attain sexual maturity. A peculiar phenomenon exhibited by egg-carrying females is that their bodies turn black or dark brown with an orange stripe to indicate to the males about their disinterest in mating. The color and pattern of these females can vary with the chameleon’s color phase. This is also one way of distinguishing a male from a female.
The female will lay about five to eight clutches of about ten to forty eggs per clutch, which hatch out in about 240 days.
Handling
The panther chameleon makes for an excellent pet, because of their docile behavior and lizard enthusiasts love to raise these animals in captivity and enjoy the pleasure of interacting lovingly with them. Although, most chameleons are show animals that prefer the solitude of their cages, the ones that become tame through the patient efforts of the keeper would still prefer their approach for pick up from the bottom as a hand coming from above could indicate a threat to them. These animals will also come to the terrarium door when they see their owners with food.
Panther chameleon FAQs
Where do panther chameleons live?
Panther chameleons live on the island of Madagascar. They are found in lowland areas with dry trees, especially along the central-eastern, northern and northwestern coasts.
What do panther chameleons eat?
They eat insects. Crickets are the staple food, with superworms, hornworms, wax worms, silkworms, stick bugs and roaches as extras.
How can you tell a male panther chameleon from a female?
Males are bigger and more colourful. Females are smaller, with a thinner tail base, and are usually pale green or pink.
Why does a female panther chameleon turn dark?
When a female carries eggs, her body turns black or dark brown with an orange stripe. This tells males she is not interested in mating.
Do panther chameleons like being handled?
Most chameleons prefer to be left alone. A patient keeper can tame one, but it is best to pick it up from below, since a hand from above looks like a threat.
Randi Jones is the owner and founder of the Nature Gift Store, an online retailer specializing in nature-themed gifts, educational science projects, live animal nature kits and real butterfly artwork. A biology graduate who fell in love with insects, she founded the company in 2001 to make active learning about nature fun, accessible and engaging for children and adults. Her store offers real butterfly frames, home and garden decor and educational live animal kits, including ant farms, worm farms, tadpoles, ladybugs and hermit crabs, and she runs a bug museum in Washington featuring live animals like Eddie the Iguana alongside other reptiles and insects.
