That was Rocco. Our Panther Chameleon - 8 images + Trivia
Details of a panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) - Macro Photography Exercise
Panther chameleon are found in the eastern and northern parts of Madagascar.
Rocco was a male. You can easy see it on his colors. Males are more much vibrantly colored than the females, especially when excited or happy.
The chameleon individual coloration varies with origin.
These 'locales' are named after the geographical location (bays or islands) in which they are found. Panther chameleons from the areas of Nosy Be, Ankify, and Ambanja are typically a vibrant blue, and those from Ambilobe, Antsiranana, and Sambava are red, green or orange.
Sleeping position
This is Rocco sleeping. Most of the time the color scheme is fading into something less exciting. That night's temperatures must have been perfect. Or he dreamt of something exciting. We got the camera out and turned on the light for a moment and took the photo.
We tried this before but normally he would wake up fast. So after some practice, we have been fast enough to shoot him in a few seconds.
One of the coolest features on chameleons are their eyes.
Their eyes are the most distinctive among the reptiles and function like a gun turret. The upper and lower eyelids are joined, with only a pinhole large enough for the pupil to see through. They can rotate and focus separately to observe two different objects simultaneously; their eyes move independently from each other. It in effect gives them a full 360-degree arc of vision around their bodies. When prey is located, both eyes can be focused in the same direction, giving sharp stereoscopic vision and depth perception. They have keen eyesight for reptiles, letting them see small insects from a long (5–10-m) distance. Ultraviolet light is part of the visible spectrum for chameleons.
When chameleons are young the color patterns help to camouflage to hide in the jungle. When adults they don't really camouflage anymore because they did not have any predators in nature.
Chameleons are certainly no boring pets. Yet it's nothing like a dog or a cat you cuddle with. It takes some dedication and persistence to get to know your pet. Some will come to you when they see you. Then you'll know you've done a great job in raising a Chameleon.