Thursday, April 23, 2015

Chameleons are little color changing machines.

Chameleons change colors to communicate or regulate their temperature, not to disguise themselves.

It is a common misconception that chameleons change colors for disguise, to camouflage themselves and blend in witht he environment. Chameleons, in reality, change color to either regulate their temperature or communicate.

They can absorb more heat from the sun or reflect it by making their skin color darker or lighter. They also change colors to communicate information to other chameleons and even people.

The color of the chameleon is a reflection of its intent and mood. For example, a bright red chameleon is possibly upset, threatened or excited. Chameleons are able to change their colors thanks to layer of skin that contain cells with different pigments. The mood or body temperature of the chameleon causes these cells to contract or expand, changing the color of the chameleon. Chameleons can achieve a wide range of colors this way. Nature working like a machine to change Chameleons color.

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