11 new chameleon species discovered hiding in plain sight

By BEA MONTENEGRO, GMA News

Published May 26, 2015 6:56pm

It’s not news that chameleons can blend in with their surroundings because of their ability to change color, but this is just ridiculous. A study in the journal Molecular Ecology describes how researchers discovered that the panther chameleon—originally thought to be just one species, Furcifer pardalis—was actually made up of 11 different chameleon species.

Panther chameleons are endemic to Madagascar and one thing that makes them unique is their wide range of colors, which encompasses bright red, green, blue, and yellow. Colors also seem to depend on the areas where the chameleon lives.

Genetic analysis

When the researchers sequenced DNA samples from 324 panther chameleons, they were surprised to find that what they thought was just one species, Furcifer pardalis, could actually be split up further into 11 different species. The study also said that there seemed to be little cross-breeding between the 11 species.

The findings were then translated into a “visual classification key” that locals can use to prevent overharvesting of chameleons for the pet trade. — TJD, GMA News

Tags: chameleon, species, madagascar