Which chameleon changes color the best

Others are red with black, blue, white, or yellow stripes. Females will display a warning color when they do not want to mate or are already gravid with a brown or white stripe along their body. Conversely, they tend to have lighter skin on hotter days since bright colors such as light blue or green reflect more light. Though poorly researched, it is believed that changing skin color to help regulate their body temperature is a trait that seems to be widespread among reptiles, even Bearded Dragons!

Female chameleons often use color to indicate their readiness to mate. She is light or pale green if she wants to mate and will turn dark and aggressive if she already has the sperm of another male. Chameleons are also known to change color when excited or stimulated such as when hunting their prey or mating. Veiled chameleons will turn dark green, yellow, or brown when they become excited to hunt. A panther chameleon is often black, dull brown, or dark red when it feels attacked.

Well, mostly physics and maybe just a little bit of magic and mirrors. These special cells are sometimes called chromatophores.

The color of an object corresponds to the wavelength of light it reflects. Reds and yellows have longer wavelengths while blues and violets have shorter wavelengths. If the object reflects the longer wavelengths of light, we see it as yellow or red and vice versa.

All chameleons have the ability to change colors but some species can change color faster than most in less than 20 seconds and others have a wider range of hues and colors. Veiled, Panther, and Madagascar chameleons can change color quickly in bright hues of green, yellow, and blue.

Others can only change between light and dark colors such as chameleons known to be tree dwellers which are usually just green, blue, or black. Adult males tend to change color more often especially when they are aggressive towards another male or want to attract a female.

Younger chameleons and females are lighter colored or even dull and have less iridophores in their skin with the exception of Carpet chameleons whose females are more ornate than males.

Panther and Madagascar chameleons are known to be extremely colorful and are the most photographed kinds. But if the naturally relaxed cells reflect blue, why are chilled out chameleons typically green like their surroundings? Blue plus yellow equals green. So, if the color changes are due to special cells under the skin, why are the effects external? The outermost layer of the chameleon's skin is actually transparent.

Beneath that outer layer lies several more layers containing a variety of specialized skills, including the blue and white light-reflecting iridophores. What's really wild is if the chameleon needs a dramatic quick-change like when it's trying to show off for a potential mate , it can quickly shed its outer layers of skin to expose the iridophores to direct sunlight in a hurry. Learn more about chameleons in " Chameleon, Chameleon " by Joy Cowley.

HowStuffWorks picks related titles based on books we think you'll like. Should you choose to buy one, we'll receive a portion of the sale. There's not a ton of research to support it yet, but some scientists believe chameleons' color-changing abilities also allow them to regulate their body temperature. A study demonstrated that bearded dragons alter their hue based on their temps, and since chameleons are ectotherms and can't retain body heat hence their stereotypical sunbathing , it's possible that maintaining a dark color allows them to absorb more light and heat.

Sign up for our Newsletter! As you can see they are an extremely striking almost neon blue color that changes to different hues depending on their mood. Nosy Be Panther Chameleons are also a popular choice of pet but a little less so than its more varied colored ancestor. It too grows to around 20 centimeters in length with the females being slightly smaller. The entire species population all hatch, as adults, in November and all die in April after laying a clutch of eggs.

They are named after the French explorer Jean Laborde who recorded them in Madagascar. I love the fact that this species has been named a carpet chameleon. The image above is a particularly colorful example as a lot of the time carpet chameleons show darker colors to absorb more heat. Darker or not they all have similar sort of patterns to those you might find on a Persian or Oriental rug. Again, these are found only in Madagascar and are the most common species seen there. They grow to a similar but smaller size as panther chameleons and like virtually all chameleon species the males are more brightly colored than the females.

They can be kept as pets but have a shorter lifespan to the more commonly kept panther and veiled chameleons. Yes, and no, scientists say. Related: See how chameleons change colors. Though incapable of matching certain details in their environments, such as bright flowers or individual blades of grass, chameleons can, in fact, make small color adjustments to blend into their surroundings.

And the more dramatic color transformations—which have made species like the panther chameleon famous—help these lizards defend territory and attract mates. So while they may not live up to their common portrayal in entertainment media, their use of color is far more impressive than most people imagine.

Staying hidden is pretty much their only tactic to evade predators. In their natural state, they already look a lot like leaves or branches, much like stick insects looks like In other words, chameleons can, in fact, change the color of their skin to match the environment, but within a narrow sliver on the color wheel.

The more elaborate displays, such as when multiple, bright colors appear at once, are saved for another purpose entirely. Chameleons have two opposing states, Milinkovitch says. They either try to be invisible, which subtle color shifts help them achieve, or try to be seen—again by changing their color, but this time much more explosively. No display stands out against the green forest backdrop like that of male dominance.

Research has shown that some male chameleons will use color to impersonate females, which allows them to sneak by other males without the threat of competition, much like cuttlefish have been known to do.

Chameleons will also use their displays to dazzle females during courtship.