BY KAIA KARPE
STAFF WRITER
Chameleons can change color for multiple purposes: to intimidate predators, camouflage themselves, find mates, and possibly change their temperature. Their skin cells have microscopic crystals that are clumped together and are called photonic crystals. To change colors, they squeeze their photonic crystals, “causing different wavelengths of light to be reflected…meanwhile, the normal skin cells can expand or shrink to fill in any gaps” (Arnold). Most have thought that blue chameleons would have a blue pigment in their skin, but that is incorrect.
To change their temperature, they could either go to a color like black, which absorbs heat, or to a color similar to white, which reflects heat. To display how they are feeling, they show more vibrant colors to show aggression to the opposing chameleon, or they could show more neutral colors to proclaim submission. Over time, chameleons’ color palette changed to imitate the environment around them. For example, chameleons in the forest have a wide range of colors, while chameleons in the desert have more browns.
Instead of physically fighting the chameleon challenger, the chameleons would fight with a display of a variety of colors. To end a match, the one with the least vibrant colors will stop showing his display. If a male chameleon wants to mate with a female, the female will either show dark colors, to indicate that she already has a mate, or show a greenish-brown to indicate she hasn’t mated.
Citations
- “r/Awwducational – Chameleons Don’t Change Color to Blend in with Their Environment. They Actually Change Colors in Response to Stress and to Communicate with Other Chameleons.” reddit, September 29, 2015. https://www.reddit.com/r/Awwducational/comments/3muwoz/chameleons_dont_change_color_to_blend_in_with/.
- Arnold, Carrie. “New ‘Smart’ Skin Changes Color Using a Trick Learned from Chameleons.” Animals, September 11, 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/09/chameleon-inspired-smart-skin-changes-color/.
- Edmonds, Patricia, and Graphics by Daniela Santamariña. “Chameleon Colors Reflect Their Emotions.” National Geographic News, May 31, 2018. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/08/chameleon-colors-reflect-their-emotions/.
- Wikipedia. “Chameleon.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, January 4, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chameleon.
- Ziegler, Photograph by Christian. “Chameleons’ Craziest Color Changes Aren’t for Camouflage.” Animals, August 2, 2018. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/08/chameleon-camouflage-color-change-myth-news/.