The spectacular speciation in the Panther Chameleon, Furcifer pardalis

Ankaramibe

Djangoa

"Ankify" from Ambanja

I will never stop being absolutely amazed by the genius of creation. It is nothing in contradiction to the fact I am actually an evolutionary biologist.

The variability of chameleons in general and of the Panther chameleons in particular is similarly astonishing.

Of course, we do not understand how the differentiation run in the past as some populations were eradicated even before we got an idea about their existence, some moved, some assimilated etc. etc. Unfortunately, what we see now is completely different from what was the situation just one hundred years ago when Madagascar was subject of unbelieveably brutal deforestation, due to commercial interests of the french colonial power. As a result, we do not see the original natural state but pitiful leftovers covered with agrar land and commercial plantations. If the chameleons were lucky, Mango, Jackfruit, Cocoa and Cashew nut plantation replaced the original forests, but where extensive rice-fields of sisal plantations appear, there is no chance for chameleons.

Nevertheless, it is very interesting to see the huge difference in patterns.

If you arrive to the village of Ankaramibe which is actually signposted as Ankaramihely, you meet one of the most distinct forms of the Panthers, the Ankaramibe Panther, the Pink Panther with blue crown. Sometimes, it is called Ankaramy, but as Ankaramy is actually a river and the Panther forms are as a rule named after islands or after settlements, so it makes no sense to call it after a river. Moreover, they live not along it but just on its left bank. Right bank, right after the bridge asaq is occupied by a strikingly different form of Djangoa - green and yellow… Totally different…

Another, completely different example is the color form assigned to Ankify. instead of a sharp distinction between the populations, rhe color form, said to be typical for Ankify (see pictures) is found both in Ankify itself, as well as on the mainland just accross the "bridge" in Ampahakabe as well as in the cocoa plantations of Ankatafa and at the western margin of the city as well as several kilometres out of the city in the direction of Ambazoanabe. At all locations it is intermixed with other coloration forms…

Messy and spectacular, sometimes, a narrow stream just few meters wide makes a barrier between clearly separable forms, sometimes, same form can be found on locations even more than 25km from each other.

Read more:

https://www.chameleons.info/l/captive-bred-ambilobe-panther-chameleons/

https://www.chameleons.info/l/ambanja-panther-chameleons-for-sale/