Meet Our Panther Chameleons

August 23, 2023

If you have visited the Cleveland Botanical Garden this summer, you may be familiar with our impromptu “Creature Features” showcasing some of our animal ambassadors. Featured here are our two panther chameleons named “Bob” and “Mark.” Chameleons are widely known for displaying their brilliant colors and using their long, sticky tongues to catch insects for food.

Another cool fact about them is that their eyes can work independently of each other rotating 180 degrees and that they are agile climbers. Panther chameleons are native to Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa and they inhabit the temperate forests of the north and east. At the Cleveland Botanical Garden, care and enrichment is provided for these chameleons in the form of daily physical contact and hand feeding crickets. See photos below for more detail.

“Bob” (left) and “Mark” (right) displaying their colors and puffing out their throats. Male chameleons often do this when within sight of one another.

“Mark” capturing his cricket food with his tongue.

Traci S. Williams

Animal & Plant Care Assistant

Traci S. Williams joined the staff of Holden Forests & Gardens in August of 2022. Knowing that she wanted to work with animals since elementary school, Traci pursued her interests through Girl Scouts, various internships, and volunteer opportunities. Earning her B.A. in Environmental Studies/Biology from Cleveland State University, Traci went on to become a Naturalist with World Bird Sanctuary and Cleveland Metroparks. In her free time, Traci enjoys arts-n-crafts (especially crochet), bowling, hiking, and sharing her love of nature with others.

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