Worlds Largest Cham! Which one is it?

SoCaliSon

SoCaliSon

Avid Member
I have always thought that Parsons was the worlds largest Cham Species... This is correct according to the Chams of Madagascar DVD I am addicted to watching daily. But I have seen sellers advertising other species such as Mellers and Oustalets as the worlds largest Cham... What's the Deal? Let's get the record straight here... Cause obviously there is some confusion. Only one species can hold the title of "Largest". I know that the Oustalets Cham are sometimes considered the "longest". I would think that over all body mass and weight would be the deciding factor on "Size".

Whatdya think?
 
If you ever hold one, you'll see why Calumma parsonii parsonii is considered the largest; they are very dense, heavy-bodied animals. Although Furcifer oustaleti males from western Madagascar may reach longer lengths, they are not as heavy as C. p. parsonii, especially the larger forms like yellow-lips or yellow giants.
 
Kent is correct in that the Parson is the heaviest and the Oustalet's is the longest. The Meller's beats neither but is still a nice cham.
 
There are two different ads on King snake both claiming to sell the worlds "largest" chameleon... and neither one is a Parson's, One is Oustalets,:confused: and one is a Mellers.:confused:

I guess the shady area could be how you define "Largest"
 
I've read and heard of reports of melleri over 30". But I've never seen one.

I've seen parsonii - thin, recently imported parsonii - that outweiged all other chameleons I've ever seen.

Anyone claiming that melleri are the largest are either lying or misinformed.
 
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melleri

the biggest cham i've seen was a Meller's chameleon at the Shedd Aquarium in chicago, this thing was a freakin MONSTER. He could have eaten my adult veiled. I was shocked at how large he was.
 
I found a picture that will prove that a Parsonii is the undisputed champ. I have to wait for permission to post the picture.
 
About 10 years ago I was told over and over (I think I even read in print) that Jackson's were the largest. This clearly is not the case! Recently I keep hearing Parson's are the heaviest (and pretty big anyway) and Oustalet's are the longest.
 
Kent67 said:
If you ever hold one, you'll see why Calumma parsonii parsonii is considered the largest; they are very dense, heavy-bodied animals. Although Furcifer oustaleti males from western Madagascar may reach longer lengths, they are not as heavy as C. p. parsonii, especially the larger forms like yellow-lips or yellow giants.
Click to expand...

How much will a good sized one weigh? Adcham lists lengths, but not weights for this species.
 
You need to be careful before you make an assumption about a seller based on what they write in their add in this case. Saying a species is the largest is a statement that can be correctly said for both F. oustaleti and C. parsonii, as has been said. Since "largest" does not clarify whether they mean heaviest or longest, it technically can mean either so saying either is correct. Saying one is a less reliable individual based on their interpretation of what is meant by largest is not fair. You should look at the seller on a wider scale and the photos they provide in addition to these statements in their adds. Now, anyone who claims such a title for Ch. melleri... They clearly do not know too much about the animals they are working with, although they are large.

A full gowth male parsonii can weight over 900 grams which is far larger than any adult male oustaleti yet there are reports of male oustaleti reaching lengths about 1/4" longer then the largest male parsonii. The extent of the weight range C. parsonii extends over F. oustaleti relative to th extent of the length range F. oustaleit extends over C. parsonii would push me to call C. parsonii the largest chameleon species but technically, neither are incorrect.

Chris
 
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900 grams! That would be about twice the weight of a Meller's. I've seen the adds for Meller's "worlds largest" but have always read on forums that Parsonii holds that title. I would like to see one in person someday.
 
This picture was on another site that I belong to and asked permission to use it as an example of the size that a Parsonii can obtain. He notified me that it wasn't his picture but it was ok to use it .This is a old chameleon thats why he looks rough. The picture is low quality but you get the Idea.

parsoniigigantemz1.jpg
 
To clear up any confusion:

I was NOT referring to any question about ousteleti being the largest. They are certainly a contender. Jeff Corwin even stated they were the largest in his TV show a few years back.

The questionable dealers I am referring to post ads claiming melleri to be the largest. That's flat out wrong, and anyone who claiming to be experienced or knowledgable in chameleons should know that. So the ads claiming such are either intentionally misleading, or evidence of ignorance - neither of which are desirable traits in a dealer.

Over the past couple years, I have seen about half a dozen dealers post ads claiming melleri were the largest. Most of them were one-off ads by individuals trying to sell a few animals. A few were from established dealers with not-so-great reputations.
 
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Why is there a small green person on that nice mans arm????????

Look at the picture quality guys, its got dean written all over it.......you know dean took this picture cause you can barely tell what your looking at. lol

Dean what other site ( im just looking for any available information )
 
Meller's chameleons ARE the largest species of chameleon....in Africa. That is most likely where the confusion arises from. Keeping in mind that there is another morph of Parson's that gets larger than the yellow-lip, I've seen some orange-eye morphs that were about as large as that one. Still pretty big though.
 
First off... Talk about an amazing animal... My Veileds leave claw marks on my arm if I take them out... That guy looks like he could just rip the skin off your arm if he wanted.

Has anyone seen he footage of the Parson's Head Bobbing footage in "Chameleons of Madagascar"? Makes me laugh out loud no kidding... By far the most comical Cham behavior I have ever seen.

Chris .. you are totally right...Since the Outsalets has been recorded as the Longest on Record I find nothing wrong with that statement like was said above... It is all in how you want to define the term "Largest".

Kent...I totally understand what you said as far as where confusion comes in some areas... But I am looking at an ad that clearly states "Worlds Largest Chameleon" selling a Melleri.:rolleyes: I guess anyone wanting to keep a large Cham should have done research enough research to recognize this is as bull anyway.
 
Kent67 said:
Meller's chameleons ARE the largest species of chameleon....in Africa.
Click to expand...

To be technical, and you know I will be:rolleyes:, they aren't. There is an introduced wild pop of oustaleti on the mainland continent near Nairobi. See Spawls, et al., even though that source's entry about melleri does say they are the largest in Africa. lol Are they mini Ousties, then?

Some keepers got the notion that melleri are the largest because they can be overfed into a heavyweight category (500g+) in a relatively short time. They think it will just keep growing at that rate, when it is really just dying. There are the old reports of 38" melleri, but frankly, I never can get those sources to prove their size with photos or vet records.

Parsonii and oustaleti ambiguously share the crown!
 
Oops, I did indeed forget the Oustalet's. So, to be technical, Meller's are the largest naturally occuring species of chameleon....in Africa (which is what I meant in the first place.) :D

Edit: But then again, if the introduced Oustalet's, which I know nothing about, originally came from a northern Madagascar population then Meller's could be the larger of the two on the mainland still.
 
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