Female Panther Chameleons are Beautiful

Panther chameleons are beautiful creatures. Male panther chameleons are known for their vibrant colors, which come in various shades, including pink, red, orange, yellow, blue, and green. In contrast, females usually present more modest colors, often in shades of gray, brown, orange, black and white. However, some females can be quite colorful, displaying light blue, green, or yellow hues.

The downside is that it's difficult to determine whether these colours are a result of natural variation or modifications due to breeding practices or climate changes. In captivity, many commercial breeders focus on quick results. They try to speed up the incubation period, which typically lasts between five and eight months. Many skip the necessary low-temperature phase (diapause) and expose the eggs to higher temperatures. This can reduce the incubation time to up to 4.5 months.

Panther chameleons have a chromosomal system for sex determination, so you get roughly half males and half females. The problem is that temperature influences not just the physical sex but also secondary sexual characteristics, hormone levels, and physical features. In cases where eggs are incubated at excessively high temperatures, some females may exhibit male-like behaviors and physiology. These altered females often refuse to breed and may are not capable of reproduction at all.

This phenomenon also occurs in the wild. The deforestation of Madagascar, characterized by the cutting down of dense rainforests and their replacement with orchards of low-density trees or fields, dramatically raises environmental temperatures. Madagascar has seen an average temperature increase of about 1.5°C over the last century, but the habitats of panther chameleons have experienced localized increases of much more, approximately 5 to 7°C. This increased heat is detrimental to egg incubation. In the most disturbed populations I've studied, about 50% of female panther chameleons show signs of the described issues.