How and why do chameleons change colours?

Answer 1

The chameleon has several cell layers beneath its transparent skin. These layers are the source of the chameleon's color change. Some of the layers contain pigments, while others just reflect light to create new colors.

Several factors contribute to the color change. A popular misconception is that chameleons change color to match their environment. This isn't true. Light, temperature, and emotional state commonly bring about a chameleon's change in color. The chameleon will most often change between green, brown and gray, which coincidently often matches the background colors of their habitat.

Another interesting fact about chameleons is that they can move their eyes in two different directions at the same time! Creepy, huh?

Answer 2

The chameleon has several cell layers beneath its transparent skin. These layers are the source of the chameleon's color change. Some of the layers contain pigments, while others just reflect light to create new colors.

Several factors contribute to the color change. A popular misconception is that chameleons change color to match their environment. This isn't true. Light, temperature, and emotional state commonly bring about a chameleon's change in color. The chameleon will most often change between green, brown and gray, which coincidently often matches the background colors of their habitat.

Another interesting fact about chameleons is that they can move their eyes in two different directions at the same time! Creepy, huh?

Answer 3

Light, temperature, and emotional state commonly bring about a chameleon's change in color. The chameleon will most often change between green, brown and gray, which coincidently often matches the background colors of their habitat.

Answer 4

i dont know how do chameleons change colour but u can say they change their colours to camouflage, that is they change their colours according to their surroundings to protect temsleves from predators like birds and snakes. Good luck!

Answer 5

chameleons change colour to camoflauge which the surronding area so that it wouldn't be easily detected by predators

Answer 6

Their toungue is amazing too:
the tongue can reach up to 1½ times the lizard’s body length. The acceleration of this ‘ballistic tongue’ is amazing—50 g (i.e. 50 times the acceleration due to gravity), while astronauts and jet fighter pilots will pass out at only 10 g.

Answer 7

How they change is because that is the way God made them. Why they change is because they need to survive in their natural habitat.

Answer 8

This won't answer your question, but you might find it interesting that WE change color too (which you know, since you know we blush and blanch and so on), AND our color vision appears to have evolved in order to see these human skin color changes.

Answer 9

Its an inbuilt thing they have ,its for camouflage to hide it from its natural preditors!