How do chameleon bodies know what color to change to and when to change to it?
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Non of the answers satisfy my curiosity of OPs question.
The all seem to avoid the actual logistical aspect of
“How does it know which color to change to.?”
What sense does it use?
So, someone else mentioned that Chameleons don’t change color for camouflage, but it’s worth noting that the Cuttlefish and the Octopus *do* change colors for camouflage, much like we often think Chameleons do, *and they can do it in complete darkness*, matching both color and texture. Cuttlefish are also colorblind, adding even more confusion to how the fuck they do it.
Former chaneleon breeder here.
They don’t actually change color, for the most part.
They’re more of a one-trick…errr..chameleon.
Instead, what they actually do is darken and display, which means they only actually have a darker/lighter change setting, if you will.
They have a few different reasons for changing color:
Warning predators or other chaneleons, mating advances, and fear/hiding response.
The colors they display don’t really change, they are just made more or less bright.
They don’t.
Their color changes based on mood, not environment. Hungry, tired, or cold = brown and grey while warm, well-fed, and angry => vibrant. They’re generally hard to spot anyway (they move slow and jerky, have excellent eyesight, can look around without moving their head unlike normal lizards, can hang from anywhere, etc.) and I think this all combined to produce the idea that they change color to hide.
Now there ARE animals like cuttlefish and octopi which can legitimately change color on the fly to match their surroundings, but not chameleons.
Source: have kept 2 chameleons as pets.
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