Chameleons are fascinating creatures, with their super-curly tails and distinctive eyes. Have you ever wished you could blend in the background? An added feature of this magnificent lizard is its ability to change colours.
It was believed that chameleons change the colour of their skin to blend in with the background. However, this is not exactly true.
So why do these creatures change their colour?
Chameleons are able to change their skin colour by stretching and relaxing cells that contain crystals, which affect how light is reflected. These special cells contain pigment and reflect light, and are made up of guanine crystals. When these special cells move, their structure changes and act like prisms so that different wavelengths of light create the various hues.
Contrary to popular belief, these crystals are not used so that this lizard can match their surroundings but are mainly used to communicate the chameleon’s mood. If chameleons change their colour to black, this shows aggression, such as when the female does not want to mate.
However, lighter colours might be used to attract mates. A change in colour is also used to change their overall temperature, where lighter colours help to reflect the heat away from the lizard’s body, while darker colours help its body to absorb more heat.
So while we humans sometimes use our fashion choices to portray our different moods, chameleons change the colour of their skin to send social cues to their fellow chameleons.