Panther chameleon (requires framing)

Panther Chameleon
 
Oi Pastel on archival paper.
29.7cm x 42cm
 
A$740
 
Oil pastel on paper
Signed on the front.
 
This little guy are commonly found in the East of Africa, Madagascar. The panther chameleon’s generic name (Furcifer) is derived from the Latin root furci meaning “forked” which refers to the shape of the animal’s feet. The animal feet comprises of 5 toes which are fused together to two groups. One group has two toes, while the other has three toes.
 
This gives the animal’s feet an appearance of tongs. The group of two is on the outside, while the group of three is on the inside. The panther chameleon’s fused opposite digits have sharp claws that enable the animal to grip trees like pincers which makes the animal an excellent tree climber.
 
The panther chameleon is called that because its specific name pardalis is the Latin word for “leopard” or “spotted like a panther”.
 
The chameleon is given that name because of peculiar markings on its body which looks like the stripes of a leopard. Since black leopards are called panthers and the chameleon lives in Africa and has black markings, it naturally became the Panther Chameleon.
 
This artwork requires framing.