| abstract
| - The panther chameleon was first described by French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1829. Its generic name (Furcifer) is derived from the Latin root furci meaning "forked" and refers to the shape of the animal's feet. The specific name pardalisrefers to the animals' markings, as it is Latin for "leopard" or "spotted like a panther". The English word chameleon (also chamaeleon) derives from Latin chamaeleō, a borrowing of the Ancient Greek χαμαιλέων (khamailéōn), a compound of χαμαί (khamaí) "on the ground" and λέων (léōn) "lion". The Greek word is a calque translating the Akkadian nēš qaqqari, "ground lion". This lends to the common English name of "panther chameleon". Male panther chameleons can grow up to 20 inches in length, with a typical length of around 17 in (45 cm). Females are smaller, at about half the size. In a form of sexual dimorphism, males are more vibrantly colored than the females. Coloration varies with location, and the different color patterns of panther chameleons are commonly referred to as 'locales', which are named after the geographical location in which they are found. Panther chameleons from the areas of Nosy Be, Ankify, and Ambanja are typically a vibrant blue, while those from Antsiranana and Sambava are red, green or orange. The areas of Maroantsetra and Tamatave yield primarily red specimens. Numerous other color phases, and patterns occur between and within regions. Females generally remain tan and brown with hints of pink, peach, or bright orange, no matter where they are found, but there are slight differences in patterns and colors among the different colour phases. When kept as pets, they require a large enclosure and are fed crickets primarily but also wax worms, meal worms, and roaches – chameleons should have a varied diet. It should be noted that panther chameleons require fresh flowing air, so the use of an open air screen cage is necessary. A glass aquarium should not be used as it restricts airflow and can cause respiratory infections in the animal. Enclosure size is very important, a 2'×2'×4' mesh cage is perfect for a single adult although females could be kept in a 1.5'×1.5'×3' enclosure. A proper day and night light schedule is required along with a UVB bulb being present in the cage. The reptile requires UVB to replicate sunlight, and help its body process. A 5.0 UVB bulb should be on for 12 hours a day as well as a heat bulb to replicate the suns heat. Humidity is very important with chameleons, 50-60% humidity should be perfect for a panther chameleon, although it will not be fatal if this is not consistent. Panther Chameleons do however require the constant availability of water. When studying a Panther Chameleon you will notice that they do not drink from a dish as might be considered. A misting bottle should be used three times daily to properly hydrate the chameleon, this will also help maintain humidity, a water dripping system could be used so that water droplets form on the interior of the cage setup. The chameleon will sponge the water droplets from the surfaces of the cage using their tongue. It is very important that chameleons are not housed together as adults, there should be only one chameleon per cage. These rules could be slightly bent during breeding season by slowly introducing an opposite sex chameleon for short periods of time. Females should have many places available to lay eggs at all times no matter what, female chameleons will lay eggs, pregnant or not.
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