The Animal Kingdom's Color Wheel

CHAMELEONS

How Chameleons use their skin as a mood ring and thermostat

EVOLUTION

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let's start with the beginning

how chameleons went from dino to camo

EVOLUTION

Mimeosaurus

65 Million Years Ago

The Mimeosaurus was a lizard-like dinosaur during the Late Cretaceous period in Mongolia. Geckos, lizards and chameleons have evolved from it.

Anqingosaurus Brevicephalus

55 Million Years Ago

This is the oldest known Chameleon from the Middle Paleocene era found in China. Now the decendants of the Mimeosaurus can change color.

Chameleon or Chamaeleonidae

Present Day

There are 160 different species of the Chameleon which all evolved from the Mimeosaurus.

Where they come from, the proofs of history

MADAGASCAR & BOHEMIA

Czech Republic

The first Chameleon or Chamaeleo caroliquarti fossil was discovered in Bohemia, Czech Republic from 26 million years ago. However, Scientists beleive that Chameleons may be 60 million years old.

Madagascar

Scientists believe that Chameleons originated from Madagascar, the largest African Island. Madagascar is ecompassed by jungle and tropical dweling animals that cannot be found anywhere else. More than half of all Chameleons in the world live in Madagascar. In fact, 89 of the 160 species live in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. Many jungle climates all over the globe are home to Chameleons such as the Pacific Islands and tropical regions of Asia.

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COLORS

how do chameleons change colors?

Excited Veiled

This Veiled Chameleon is showing vivid blues and purples which often means that it is excited or stimulated by something.

Mood Ring

Chameleons have the ability to change the color of their skin at will. A common misconception is that Chameleons do it to blend into their surroundings, but they use their color changing abilities to reflect their mood, regulate body temperature and attract a mate. Chameleons do not need to hide from predators because they can actaully run 21 mph, so making a quick get away is easy.

Scared or Cold Veiled

This Veiled Chameleon is either cold and using darker colors to retain heat or scared of nearby predator.

Layered

Chameleons have 4 layers of skin, the outtermost layer being transparent with 3 layers of pigmented chromatophores which allow it to change color, lightness and darkness.

Layer 1: Transparency

Layer 2: Warm Colors

Layer 3: Cool Colors

Layer 4: Brown Colors

learn about the 4 layers below

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LEVELS OF SKIN

what is in each layer of chameleon skin?

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1 Transparency

The outtermost layer of the Chameleon's 4 layered skin is transparent. The 3 layers within have different colored pigments that allow for the skin to change colors. The transparent layer is to cover these internal skin levels.

Panther Chameleon

This chameleon is climbing a tree and using his four layers of skin to create a green with red accents.

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2 Xanthophores & Erythrophores

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Xanthophores & Erythrophores

This is what xanthophores and erythrophores look like in use under a microscope.

The second outtermost level of the Chameleons multipile layer is home to Xanthophores and Erythrophores which are red and yellow pigments, when mixed they can create orange, pinks and a large spectrum of warm colors. These pigments are really called chromatophores which allow for the color of the skin to change. Xanthophores and erythrophores contain pteridines and carotenoids which are yellow and red pigments respectively.

Panther Chameleon

This chameleon is using their xanthophores to either warm up their body or reflect an emotion.

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Iridophores

Iridophores

This is what iridophores look like in use under a microscope. They have blue and metalic colors in this slide.

Panther Chameleon

This chameleon is using their iridophores to either cool down their body or reflect an emotion.

The third level of the Chameleons multipile layers is home to the Iridophores which are blue, purple and metalic pigments, when mixed they can create a large spectrum of cool colors. The cooler colors can be bright or dark depending on the mood and tempurature of the Chameleon. Iridophores are also light-reflecting crystals which is key to how chameleons change colors.

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4 Melanophores

Melanophores

This is what melanophores look like in use under a microscope.

Panther Chameleon

This chameleon is using their melanophores to control the gradient of their colors.

The last level of the Chameleons multipile layers is home to the Melanophores which are the same as melanin in humans which make our skin color. Melanophores control how light or dark the pigmented colors are in the other layers.

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DAILY LIFE

what do chameleons do all day?

Mating

Chameleons use their amazing ability to change their skin color at will as a mood ring and thermometer, but also to attract a mate. Males will flash bright colors to a female and if she is not interested, she will turn a darker color and run away. Pregnant female chameleons will lay eggs around 5-6 months after finding a mate. Depending on the species, female Chameleons have anywhere between 10-200 eggs. Veiled Chameleons will lay 20-200 eggs and Panther Chameleons will lay 10-40 eggs.

Eyes

Along with their changing skin, Chameleons are able to move their eyes unlike any other creature. They can rotate each eye 180º in their head and look at different things at the same time. When they find pray, however, both eyes interlock on its target to aim their tongue.

Tongue

Chameleons have the longest tongue in proportion to their body out of any animal on earth. Their tongues can reach up to 10 inches away from its body while the average length of a chameleon is 15 inches long. In order to catch insects with sharp wit and wings, their tongues can shoot out of its mouth at 13.4 mph.