Ambanja Chameleons for sale in the UK

Ambanja is a panther chameleon locale. The name tells you where in Madagascar a line's wild ancestors came from, so it stands for a population, not a gene, and there is no het to carry. The males are the draw: blue, with green and purple running through them.

Appearance

An adult male has a blue to blue-green base with green and purple through it, and red freckling on the face and body. The red is normal for Ambanja. His barring fades into the body colour instead of cutting across it, which is the most useful way to tell him from neighbouring locales: Ambilobe bars stand out in hard contrast, and Nosy Be runs to a more solid turquoise.

Hatchlings and juveniles of both sexes are greyish brown with faint patterning, so a young male gives little away. Females stay peach, tan or brown for life, as in every locale, and darken with pink or orange patches when gravid.

Genetics

No inheritance mode applies and there is no super form: Ambanja bred to Ambanja gives Ambanja. The populations behind locale names are distinct. A 2015 study of 324 wild panther chameleons found strong genetic structure and restricted gene flow between geographically separate groups, enough for its authors to suggest the panther chameleon may be four to eleven species. Crossing Ambanja with another locale mixes two of those groups. The cross cannot be undone, and it loses its value to breeders who keep pure lines. Ask which line an animal comes from, and ask to see the sire.