Maybe some of them aren't lying...maybe they are just going by what was told to them?
Very true..........and probably happens on a regular basis. Most of the research that I did for myself........BEFORE acquiring one of my own was about how to properly set-up and care for a particular type of chameleon. I love to look at pictures of other peoples chams and rarely miss one that is newly posted. That being said, I don't know enough about the specific locales of these amazing creatures to make a pimple on a gnats ass.
Therefore, I leave that up to people with much more experience than I have when it comes to identifying specific locales. I am also quite sure that just the same as there are people standing on every corner trying to make a profit for something that they know very little, to nothing about (locale wise), there are also some very knowledgable people that tracks the genetic background (as much as humanly possible) that WILL direct you to the different color schemes of the locales in question.
I have read, and been amazed, with the discussions about the variations (and lack of) within a specific locale. I very greatly admire the people that are doing their own research and sharing it openly with us all here on the forum. There are several locales that really intrigue me with their beauty, and in the future.........as I get comfortable with my ability to provide a healthy environment for the one that we currently have..........there isn't a doubt in my mind that I will own more than just one. Up until the point that I feel comfortable with my ability to identify "where" these beautiful chams come from, I'll leave that up to the people that DO keep their own records tracing the family history of a specific clutch of babies all the way back to being wild caught.
The "females" of a locale are the ones that are so hard to identify. I can see how it would be very easy for someone out in the field to get them mixed up, either intentionally or unintentional. Up until they have a few generations that were bred and born in captivity and can show that, it seems to me that they would be taking someone else's "word" on the true locale. The genetics are passed on by both the male and female and with half the equation being "questionable"..........it wouldn't make ANY sense to me to sell them as being "something".........that I wasn't 100% sure of.
I have been a member of several other type forums for a long time. The one thing that I have learned about people is that they all have the ability to be straight-forward and honest..........it's just that some of them don't make that choice in any areas of their lives. I'm honest as the day is long, and if I don't know something..........I will tell you I don't know. It doesn't make me look dumb to not have the answer to a question, it only shows that I have much more to learn than I already know. Where that knowledge ends, is where "we", as individuals choose to let it.
Some people can be trusted..........some people can't, it's as simple as that. If it smells like s**t, looks like s**t and sounds like s**t........it's probably just a turd, regardless of what someone else tells you it is. I'm not the smartest cookie in the package, but I have a helluva lot of common sense. I "earned" that common sense by making mistakes and learning from them. Sometimes I have been taken advantage of, but the older I get..........the harder it becomes to blow smoke up my *ss. One more thing before I get off my proverbial "soap box"........If your gonna try and bulls**t someone, you better make sure that YOU are a better "bulls**tter than they are. Because if you aren't..........your not gonna get very far. It's only good for about 10 minutes, then your gonna get into "what you really know".
To take advantage of someone else's "ignorance" on or about something is not the sort of thing that I want to make a part of my life. Life is to short to be constantly looking over your shoulder...........it's not worth it, to ME.
Once again..........I want to thank EVERYONE that posts on this forum. I have learned sooooooooooooooooooooooo much from each and every one of you............and I'm still learnin'.
