Pure Locales

[Rickky]

What are ur thoughts...How can u be certain that any panther chameleon in the trade is a pure locale...My thought is that people could cross them and label them as a pure locale...unless you can follow its family tree back to a wildcaught locale....and In the wild locales that overlap how do we really know that hybridization does not occur????? The pattern and color can be decieving...Ive seen ambilobes especially with very defined "U" baring like a sambava...and other species

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

Within the USa we're only up to the F6 generation from wild stocks
There is an attempt to get the lines cleaned up by many responsible breeders
but the problem is compounded by the "fuzzy edges" of any "local" that
overlap and blend into one another as well as lax breeders that cross /sell
animals that are miss- identified or represented to them from elsewhere.
The closer the locals are to one another the greater the similarities.

There has been many active discussions on this board pertaining
to what is what and what do they look like.
We're all trying to get it all sorted out.

Basically it boils down to a general consensus of what is a
"Sambava" or a "ambilobe" panther chameleon -we've gotten that far.
However, there is no "pure anything" with all breeders there's no governing body to regulate the industry.
ID is based upon color, pattern and morphological differences that fall /don't fall into what's accepted.

To use the model developed for dogs and cats a pure bred animal
has to go through many generations resulting in consistent offspring

Any breeder can tell you that doesn't happen.... it's still a guess with many
and an educated guess with established breeders.

My thought is that people could cross them and label them as a pure locale...unless you can follow its family tree back to a wildcaught locale

Performa search and read up on how these animals are/were imported and mixed up.
use the veiled chameleons as a reference (completely hybridized domestic populations)
DON'T cross and mislabel animals (period)

Ive seen ambilobes especially with very defined "U" baring like a sambava...and other species

seems like a case of hybridizing and miss identification
the accepted notion is that ambilobe do not carry the "U" and are barred.

The situation would improve is there was some sort of regulating body to govern and certify animals
but it seems there's little motivation by some of those "breeders"
to take the steps to do that or pay the fees required to support such a body

We would all be better off if such a organizing body was in effect
and certified responsible breeders for novice keepers to go to.