Why A Panther Chameleon Is Called A Panther Chameleon

This question came up on another forum, 'Why do they call them Panther Chams?'. So, being as I wasn't 100% sure, I googled it and came up with this:

Panther chameleon has a lovely binomial name, Furcifer pardalis, 'pardalis' meaning 'like a leopard' in Latin and 'furcifer' meaning a 'rogue', making it a 'leopard-like scoundrel'.

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My issue with that is that they are some of the most brightly colored and patterned critters out there, how does this make them rouge like? Any thoughts on why they are named this way?

That's a very good question Jaz. If Pardalis means like a leopard, I wonder why they aren't called Leopard Chameleons.

Being Rogue doesnt have anything to do with coloration. In this case, I believe "rogue" is used to describe the chameleons solitary roaming lifestyle.

"Cattish" descriptors vary wildly. So 'tigre' doesn't always mean 'tiger', 'leopard' can mean 'jaguar', and 'panther' can mean 'cougar' and so on. After all...the 'leo' in leopard means 'lion' and 'pard' was a spotted cat. The latin name could well be from hunting style to the flashy spots.

Submitted for your approval,
Tyg (another one of those cattish things)

I'd think that their aggressiveness plays into the name.

I have a "big cat" collection of herps going - panther chameleon, leopard gecko, tiger salamander... The leopard gecko is obviously named for his spots, and the tiger salamander for her stripes, but, yeah, the "panther" is a little iffy. They tend to be a little more stripy than either spotty or solid-colored.

Funny I was thinking about that yesterday looking at my panther, in particular to his stripes.. For me they should be called tiger chameleon!

actually, Pardalis means Colorful in Greek (Παρδαλό)

leopard, in greek = Leopardali, or Λεοπάρδαλη, which is a compound word (from the combination of Leon, and Pardali).. so in a few words, a colorful Lion...

I know it doesnt make much sense, but hell, no idea what he had in mind, the guy that named those majestic animals xD

Alkis Pieris said:

actually, Pardalis means Colorful in Greek (Παρδαλό)

leopard, in greek = Leopardali, or Λεοπάρδαλη, which is a compound word (from the combination of Leon, and Pardali).. so in a few words, a colorful Lion...

I know it doesnt make much sense, but hell, no idea what he had in mind, the guy that named those majestic animals xD

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It's all greek to me

haha... well

i hope u at least understood my point... Furcifer PARDALIS is correct,

the common name though, Panther, well.. not so much as the specific chameleon is indeed, VERY colorful

yaa doesn't make much sense. but neither does 'chameleon'. in greek, χαμαί (khamaí) "on the ground" and λέων (léōn) "lion".......ground lion?? lol

I can understand the rogue part.. In their own environment they are the masters at concealing themselves, leaf-like and colorful. Identical to indigenous tropical plants found on the islands.. The lion part probably depends on the first chameleon ever called a chameleon.. Most likely found in Africa you will see chameleons that can open flaps. Flapnecks, Mellers etc (Kind of like a lions mane ???).. Maybe these sighting were only seen on the ground since no body in that era would dream of finding a lizard in the tree's..

@batmancumming, well, your translation's is 100% accurate, but it does make sense

You see, the greeks , cypriots, Cretes, etc, have only 1 species of chameleon..

The Mediterranean Chameleon.. which -Trust me, it's a Fiesty one
Even if you find a baby, it WILL bite, avoid you, try to leave with every opportunity, and buff up to try and scare you... and actually , a lot of people are afraid of them ..and as a result a lot of people kill them

The term Furcifers root is Furci ,which means forked (foot) (not rouge).
THe term pardalis root is pardus, means a Panther or Leopard (Spotted like)
The Latin name translates to something like.

Forked (Foot) Spotted like a Panther (or leopard)

learn so much here that why i love it thanks for the info

Panther means Awesome Hunter in english. Chamelon means Companion in english. Thats what my cham is to me.

Robyrango said:

Funny I was thinking about that yesterday looking at my panther, in particular to his stripes.. For me they should be called tiger chameleon!

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lots of panther chams do have spots and blotches

Don't know if it helps any but panthers are spotted. It just happens that they have black spots on a black background. If you see them in the right light, you can see their spots.

Thank you so much for the post.