Furcifer petteri was initially described as the subspecies Chamaeleo willsii petteri by Édouard-Raoul Brygoo and Charles Domergue in 1966, but later transferred to the genus Furcifer and given full species status by Frank Glaw and Miguel Vences in 1994.

[2] Furcifer petteri is listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because its geographic range only covers an area of 11,000 square kilometres (4,200 square miles) in northern Madagascar, where the remaining forest is in decline.

[1] It lives between 120 and 850 metres (390 and 2,790 feet) above mean sea level,[1] where it is threatened by mining, logging for rosewood and charcoal, and fires.

When the females are excited, they change colours quickly, becoming yellow-lemon with two spots of light blue, and one of red.

[5] According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System, Furcifer petteri is the valid name for this species.