Panther Chameleon

Furcifer pardalis

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing panther chameleons. These reptiles get their common name from their scientific name which comes from their appearance. Panther chameleons have spots much like a panther, or leopard. This really only applies to males, however, as female panther chameleons are more drab than the males. Male panther chameleons appear blue and green with bright orange, red, and yellow spots and bars. Females are typically brown or pale orange, only showing off their brightest pinks during the breeding season.

Panther chameleons are endemic to the northern and eastern coasts of Madagascar. They live in trees and low-lying vegetation, but they don't like to stray deep into the forest. Instead, these vertebrates prefer forest edges and even utilize areas cleared by humans like roads and homesteads. They like having plenty of spots to soak up the sun and see their surroundings, so panther chameleons readily move into what might otherwise be considered less than ideal environments around human settlements and agricultural fields.

As creatures with plenty of fancy colors to show off, panther chameleons prefer to have a clear line of sight to their neighbors. These reptiles aren't very neighborly, however. Outside of the breeding season, panther chameleons are considered solitary, and even during the breeding season they're only tolerant of one another. Male panther chameleons are so aggressive towards intruders, they'll actively fight each other to exhaustion. In fact, many panther chameleon adults don't survive through the breeding season! The males wear themselves out with fighting, and the females expend so much energy producing their eggs, they often perish before their second year of life. This is for panther chameleons in the wild, of course; captive individuals in proper care can live to be five years old or older.

Their breeding season largely depends on their location, with populations living further south, thus in colder areas, having a shorter season during the warmest parts of the year; while those further north may even mate year round. The female lays twelve to 50 eggs in a nest she digs in the ground and buries them to incubate for six to twelve months depending on the surrounding temperature. The babies hatch only about an inch (2.5cm) long from their nose to the base of their tail and grow to their adult size within a year's time. Male panther chameleons, apart from being more brightly colored, are basically twice as big as the ladies. These reptiles range in body length from six to twelve inches (15-30cm). 

Panther chameleon babies grow quickly eating a nutritious diet of various arthropod species. These animals are diurnal and spend their time climbing through the trees in order to find all kinds of tasty animals to eat. Like other chameleons, they use their long, sticky tongue to pull an unsuspecting insect into their mouth and swallow it down whole. Even their tail can be used as a fifth limb for grabbing twigs and branches if their uniquely fused toes aren't strong enough to keep them aloft.

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