The Panther Chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) is a reptile in the Chamaeleonidae family.
The male Panther Chameleon can vary in colour from blue to red, green, orange. The female is usually tan and brown with a bit of pink or orange. It has distinctive eyes, with a pin-hole where the pupil is located. Its eyes, with good eyesight, can rotate independently, giving the Panther Chameleon 360 degrees of vision (all around it). It has a very long tongue with a suction-capped tip to catch insects.
It has five toes on each foot, but some are fused together so it looks like it only has two toes on each foot: two together and three together. Its feet act like tongs and can grip branches. Each toe has a sharp claw.
It can grow to 20-55 centimetres (8-22 inches) in length. The female is about half the size. Its tongue is about 22 centimetres (9 inches) long.
It is native to Madagascar. It prefers tropical forests.
The female lays 10-45 eggs, which hatch after about 240 days.
It lives for about 3 years, on average.
Location of photographs: Parc Zoologique de Paris in Bois de Vincennes, France
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM