Notes on Ankify Local Form of Furcifer pardalis

Furcifer pardalis, the panther chameleon, is endemic to Madagascar's northwest and northeast, where males show extraordinary variability in excited coloration. This diversity reflects seasonal cycles, age, health, nutrition, and strong individual differences, making local forms difficult to define.

Among these, Ankify is intensely sought. Yet the "desired phenotype" is not fixed by nature but shaped by breeders. Most animals labeled Ankify actually come from Ambanja, the adjacent mainland coast connected by a narrow mangrove ridge, not an island in the strict sense. The Ankify population itself is highly variable, as four examples demonstrate, challenging locality labels as absolute markers.