Furcifer pardalis from Nosy Faly, the True Original Appearance More Than a Decade Ago

24/01/2025

The depicted animals are WNC (Wild, Not Caught), photographed IN 2013 on Nosy Faly by Katrin Pawlik, Berlin, FRG

The Panther Chameleon, Furcifer pardalis, is one of the most well-known chameleon species and is frequently kept and bred in captivity. It exists in various color forms that originate from different locations on Madagascar's northern, northwestern, and eastern coasts, as well as several offshore islands. Among these, one of the most striking forms comes from the small island of Nosy Faly.

The challenges with Nosy Faly Panther Chameleons in captivity have led to a significant divergence in their appearance from wild counterparts due to several factors:

Uncertain origins of wild-caught specimens
Origins of wild-caught females are often unclear,
Misleading information from importers, dealers, and unreliable breeders
Deliberate crossbreeding with other forms to create vibrant colors or desirable traits
Selective line-breeding to fix specific traits
Inbreeding due to limited availability of breeding stock

Obtaining honest imports from Nosy Faly presents notable challenges. There are fewer Panther Chameleons on Nosy Faly compared to other forms, such as Ambilobe or Nosy Be. Historically, this form has been difficult to source in the pet trade. Accessing Nosy Faly necessitates a two-hour boat ride, which can be perilous during stormy weather. Being a smaller island, the overall population of Panther Chameleons on Nosy Faly is lower than in larger areas like Ambilobe.

According to the late Olaf Pronk, the local population was significantly reduced due to high demand. Driven by greed, local collectors removed several females from the regions of Nosy Be and Ambanja and introduced them to Nosy Faly, resulting in a substantial loss of the original genetic diversity of this form.

Despite these challenges, there is encouraging news from some commercial importers: a population of Panther Chameleons still exists on Nosy Faly. Although their current appearance reflects a mix of the original genetic traits and those from introduced populations, efforts are being made to maintain the distinctiveness of the Nosy Faly form.

Photo courtesy Jack Jack

Epilogue

Recently, there were reports from several sources in the US and EU that imports from Nosy Faly arrived with no notable difference from the imports of about a decade ago. This would be predominantly good news, and I would be more than happy to be proven wrong; I at least alarmed, without the reality matching the feared catastrophic scenario of losing one form of Furcifer pardalis in the wild.

There are many unclear issues:

We frankly don't know whether Olaf Pronk received the correct information. We cannot ask him now because, as you know, he tragically passed away recently.
There was no information regarding the quantity of the introduced animals.
No one ever followed up on the introduction, especially whether they survived at all and whether they were able to reproduce at all.
No one has been able to provide proof of their breeding success and integration into the main population.

So, we are blindfolded.

But we are here among friends and enthusiasts, not in a scientific journal, so I dare to share my thoughts and warn the community in case they see some potential problems. It might provide us with an idea of what could be the reason.

I deeply hope that I was too cautious regarding Mother Nature and how she eliminates intruders. It may be that:

they have not reproduced,
they ave been eliminated by natural selection,
the local females did not prefer the coloration of the new or hybrid males and refused mating,
the introduced females did not like the local males,
some hybridization occurred, but the bastards were simply not viable enough,
in an extreme case, the new genetics integrated into the local population might have strengthened it due to heterozygosity.

We do not know.

Anyway, I still consider it better to know about a potential problem than to ignore it.

Epi-Epilogue / The Good News

The Nosy Faly Panthers are continuously imported and look fortunately very similar/identical to the original animals decades back. With ethical approach, it will be possible to keep this wonderful creatures in pure blood lineages alive in human care. There is hope that it will happen without brutal inbreeding and that the lineages will be viable and thriving. The exterior of this local form is very attractive and with white, blight blue tones and the red rain, they represent one of the most beautiful yet decent local form of panthers for the real breeder with good taste and responsible approach. Let us hope for good future.

WC Nosy Faly Panthers by One World Exotica LLC

Epi-Epi-Epilogue / The Bad News

The Nosy Faly Panthers, despite of their rare nature, are subject of greedy unethical cross-breeding. This evil is called "designer morphs" bus have nothing to do with design, as simply animals are put together and the genetics show only, what comes out - without any foolishly pretended designer intention. This way, irresponsible pseudo-breeders pollute the unique genetics and produce bastards of uncertain origin and questionable viability. Curiously, greedily and awkwardly, they ask for double price for these pitiful bastards than the ethical breeders dare to ask for the pure blooded ones. The world is crazy... Let us hope.

Pittiful Crosses of Nosy Faly Panthers by greedy unethical breeders