What color is a chameleon when not in disguise. How and why chameleons change color

To people watching chameleons, it may seem that these reptiles change color deliberately, "fitting" themselves to the color of the environment. In this case, one would have to admit that chameleons have self-consciousness and an abstract, which is not expected from.

Mechanism of color change

In the upper layer of the skin there are special cells - chromatophores ("carrying color"). These cells contain pigment grains. The chameleon has three chromatophore cells: iridocytes, xanthophores, and melanocytes. Iridocytes contain guanine, which gives a golden or silver color, xanthophores contain carotene, associated with a range of shades from yellow to red, and the color of melanocytes containing melanin varies from yellow to black.

All three types of chromatophores are equipped with processes that can contract. When the process is shortened, the pigment is concentrated in the middle of the chromatophore, which makes the color lighter. If the process is not reduced, the pigment is in it, and the color becomes darker.

Chromatophores are also capable of movement. When they sink into the deeper layers of the skin, the color is pale, and when they are at the surface, they are more saturated.

All this can occur in different combinations: some cells deepened, others remained at the surface, in some the processes were straightened, in others they were reduced. Thanks to this, the color "palette" of the chameleon is very rich.

Causes of color change

Without a developed central nervous system, a chameleon, of course, cannot think: “I am now among green leaves, which means I need to paint my skin green.” Contrary to popular belief, camouflage to the environment is not the only or even the main purpose of the chameleon's ability to change color.

The change in color is associated with the emotions that the animal experiences. In a state of excitement or fear, the chameleon turns yellow, and in an aggressive emotional mood, it turns black.

Affects the color of chameleons and lighting: in the dark they become creamy with yellow spots.

The color change of males during the mating season becomes especially bright and unpredictable. This is not only a way to attract the attention of females, but also a threat addressed to rivals.

Such patterns of color change in chameleons suggest that color variations are controlled by the nervous system. The mechanisms of nervous regulation of the activity of chromatophores are not fully understood, but vision plays a certain role in them: if one eye is removed from a chameleon, the corresponding half of the body loses its ability to change color.

Chameleons are one of the most unusual animals on Earth: they communicate by changing color, they kill the victim with lightning speed by shooting their tongue, and they live in places that are not easy to get to and which, unfortunately, will soon change beyond recognition due to human activities.

There is hardly an animal that can compete with a chameleon in the number of anatomical curiosities. These lizards have a tongue longer than their body, and with its help they are able to get their own food in a split second with one “shot” - to catch and kill some insect. Chameleons have excellent eyesight, their telescopic eyes can rotate independently of each other. Terrible “horns” protrude directly above the eyes, and the fingers have become like claws and serve to firmly grip the branches on which these lizards spend their whole lives. But among all the variety of bright features, there is one that distinguishes chameleons from other lizards - this is the ability to change color. The widespread belief that chameleons take on the color of the surface they are on is actually not entirely true. Of course, in some situations, the ability to mimic comes in handy, but basically chameleons resort to color changes to communicate with each other and with the outside world. By changing color, these lizards indicate their state: readiness for mating, threat to the enemy or stress. “Chameleons have long attracted the attention of researchers, but despite this, not all of their mysteries have been solved,” says Christopher Anderson, an expert on these lizards from Brown University in Providence. “We are still trying to figure out in detail how they work – how they shoot with their tongue while hunting and how they change color.”

About 40 percent of the more than 200 species of chameleons known to science inhabit Madagascar, almost all the rest live on the territory of continental Africa. With the help of DNA tests, it was possible to isolate several new species, although in appearance their representatives practically did not differ from those known before. More than 20 percent of the species have been identified in the last 15 years. Unfortunately, the future of these amazing creatures in nature is far from rosy. In November last year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List included more than half of the chameleon species under the status of "threatened" or "close to vulnerable." Anderson is a member of the IUCN Chameleon Panel. Christopher studied in detail the hunting skills of his wards. Using a 3,000 fps camera, he captured a chameleon eating a cricket. In reality, everything happens in 0.56 seconds - in the recording, the hunt lasts 28 seconds, and with the help of the camera, the operation of the "trigger" of the lizard's tongue was disassembled in great detail.

Christian Ziegler The insect fell victim to a chameleon from the genus Calumma who decided to feast on it. Thanks to sharp eyesight, the lizard manages to direct the “shot” of its long tongue with a wet sucker at the tip with jewelry accuracy.

The hyoid bone of the chameleon is surrounded by elastic collagen tissue and is located in the annular "trigger" muscle. As soon as the lizard aims at the prey, it slightly sticks out its tongue, the trigger muscle compresses this bone, and the tongue, previously gathered in a tight fold, abruptly slides off it, straightening like a spring. The tip of the tongue is shaped like a sucker, and the victim sticks tightly to its wet surface. The tongue retracts and - the dish is on the table! Regarding color control mechanisms, then the work of geneticist and biophysicist Michel Milinkovich, published this year, turned the recent ideas of scientists upside down. For many years it was believed that the change in color of a chameleon occurs due to the spread of pigments along special processes of skin cells. Michel argues that this assumption is not convincing, because in nature there are many green individuals whose skin lacks green pigments. Milinkovic and colleagues from the University of Geneva found another layer of cells under the pigment cells, which contain nanocrystals arranged in a triangular lattice. It turned out that under pressure and exposure to chemical compounds, these crystals become manageable: when the distance between them changes, the color reflected by the skin also changes. With an increase in the gap between the "chameleon" crystals, the gamma shifts from the blue part of the spectrum to the green and further - up to the red. Nick Henn, an amateur breeder from Pennsylvania, had his first chameleon when he was seven years old. In twenty years, Henn's collection has grown to two hundred individuals who live in his basement in Reading.

Cages placed in a row are filled with plants, on which lizards climb with pleasure. At the bottom there is a decent layer of sand so that the females can lay their eggs. Humidity and light are adjusted to recreate the natural environment for the animals. Correctly arranging the cages is a more difficult task than seating the delegations of warring countries at the UN assembly. Animals once again should not cause aggression in each other, so Henn placed the females so that they did not see the males, and the males so that neither females nor warlike rivals fell into their field of view. Amber, a young panther chameleon, belongs to a species that inhabits the Ambilobe region in northern Madagascar. Its body is decorated with red and green stripes, on the sides of the lizard bordered in light blue. When Henn, having opened the cage, began to push Amber with a long stick, the chameleon began to “wind up”. It was easy to notice - the red stripes suddenly filled up and became noticeably brighter.

The widespread belief that chameleons take on the color of the surface they are on is actually not entirely true.

Photo: Coracoid outgrowths adorn the muzzle of Parson's chameleon - one of the largest species. By these outgrowths, lizards recognize "their own", they are also suitable as a formidable weapon in a duel for a female. Author: Christian Ziegler">

Beak-shaped outgrowths adorn the muzzle of Parson's chameleon - one of the largest species. By these outgrowths, lizards recognize "their own", they are also suitable as a formidable weapon in a duel for a female.

Photo: Beak-shaped outgrowths adorn the muzzle of a long-nosed chameleon. By these outgrowths, lizards recognize "their own", they are also suitable as a formidable weapon in a duel for a female. Author: Christian Ziegler">

Beak-shaped outgrowths adorn the muzzle of a long-nosed chameleon. By these outgrowths, lizards recognize "their own", they are also suitable as a formidable weapon in a duel for a female.

Photo: Two male panther chameleons have just completed a fight for a female. It is not difficult to determine the winner: it shimmers in the sun. His opponent is in mourning. Author: Christian Ziegler">

Two male panther chameleons have just completed a fight for a female. It is not difficult to determine the winner: it shimmers in the sun. His opponent is in mourning.

Some types of chameleons, although they change color, do not do it clearly enough to intimidate the enemy. Then other methods come to the rescue - lizards compress the body, and then straighten the ribs at the joints in order to push the spine up and “grow” due to this. Another trick to make you look more imposing is to curl your long ponytail tightly into a ball and use your tongue muscles to puff out your throat. Turning, after all these metamorphoses, sideways to the enemy, the chameleon seems much larger. One of Henn's favorites - a lizard named Katy Perry (that's the name of the American pop star. - Approx. Ed.) - has taken on a pink-red hue, signaling to its relatives that it is ready to mate. Her neighbor, named Pinat, is also pink, but with dark stripes on her body, which means that she is already bearing offspring. If Cathy comes across a male who can impress her with his bright colors and spectacular mating dance, she may well agree to prolong his lineage. If the same male meets on the way of Pinat, it will immediately darken all over, and bright spots will appear against this background. For a particularly dull boyfriend, the lizard will open its mouth menacingly, begin to hiss and try to bite him. Both male and female chameleons are polygamous (mating with multiple partners). Most species lay eggs, which hatch into young, and in some, children are born alive in transparent sacs that resemble cocoons. Chameleons do not bother raising babies, so they are left to their own devices from the first days of life. Since these animals spend most of their time in trees, in order to hide from prying eyes, it is enough for them to cower and topple over on the underside of a branch. And once on the ground, lizards, at the sight of a predator, try to pretend to be one of the leaves, of which there are so many around.

Christian Ziegler The life cycle of the Labora chameleon lasts about a year. Some chameleon species can live up to ten years in captivity. In the natural environment, they do not live even half of this period.

But chameleons cannot cope with the main enemy- Human agricultural activity ruthlessly destroys their habitual habitat. 9 species listed in the IUCN Red List are on the verge of extinction, 37 are endangered, 20 are vulnerable and another 35 are close to the status of vulnerable. Biologist Crystal Tolly, like Christopher Anderson, is on the IUCN Chameleon Expert Group. Since 2006, in South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tolly's team of scientists has discovered 11 new chameleon species. Cristal is from Massachusetts and has been studying lizards for 15 years under the auspices of the National African Institute for Biological Diversity in Cape Town. “When genetic analysis confirms that the individual you found is a representative of a new species, the feelings are simply overwhelmed,” Tolly says enthusiastically. - Not like when you write an article that no one will read later. Here it is a completely different matter - your discovery becomes part of scientific knowledge for centuries! Sighing, Krystal continues, “But as soon as the euphoria subsides a little, the terrible reality again comes to the fore. A picture of industrial deforestation rises before our eyes. In the branches of trees falling to the ground, my tiny pets try to find shelter. Sometimes I think it would be better for them to remain unknown to science. After all, if a person does not stop, very soon they will all die out.

Chameleons are one of the most unusual creatures that inhabit the planet. These reptiles attract attention primarily with their original ability to change color. Why do chameleons change color? In what cases do they resort to such metamorphoses? How do chameleons change color? We will consider the answers in our material, and also present some interesting facts about these amazing animals.

Mechanism of color change

Before telling why the chameleon changes color, I would like to say a few words about what makes this ability possible. The original function is due to the specific structure of animal skin tissues. Almost its entire surface is covered with special cells called chromatophores. The latter contain color pigments. Dyes are presented in the form of microscopic mobile grains.

Chromatophore cells can expand and contract. The result is a mixture of color pigments in individual combinations. If the grains are concentrated in the center of the cell, it acquires a light shade. When the pigments move to the periphery, dark colors are formed.

The deep and superficial layers of the skin contain a different number of chromatophores with individual combinations of dyes. This, in fact, explains the widest range of colors to which the chameleon changes color. Why do such animals resort to such unusual metamorphoses? We will talk about this further.

Why does a chameleon change its color?

Each of us is familiar with the statement that such reptiles change color in order to camouflage against the background of the surrounding area, trying to become invisible to predators. However, as the results of special studies show, this is nothing more than a delusion. In practice, such animals are not able to become monochrome on a white canvas. The same goes for the black background. In such situations, the shade of the body of the lizard will still remain somewhat contrasting.

So why does a chameleon actually change color? Scientists have found that such metamorphoses can occur under the influence of a number of emotional and physiological factors. First of all, it is worth noting the effect on the body of an animal of a certain temperature, lighting, humidity. Chameleons can change the shade with dehydration, pain, hunger, fear, aggression towards the enemy, the desire to attract the attention of the female.

Why do chameleons change skin color? The researchers found that a significant role here is played by what objects the animal's gaze is directed at. According to the results of experiments, when the optic nerve of a lizard is damaged, the ability to color metamorphoses is completely lost. This is due to the fact that the transformation of shades occurs only with a certain chain of actions. Getting on the retina of the chameleon's eye, the light affects the nervous system. Signals are transmitted to the brain, and then to the chromatophores. Exposure of an animal to light of a certain intensity leads to a change in skin tone in a particular spectrum. The same thing happens if you irritate the body of a reptile with weak charges of electric current.

So we found out why the chameleon changes color. Contrary to popular belief, these lizards are not experts in camouflage. The color change serves other purposes.

What shades can the body of chameleons acquire?

More than 160 species of lizards that belong to the presented genus live on the planet. Most of them can only change color from green to brown. However, some reptiles have learned to transform body tones in the widest range, from white, yellow, orange to purple, pink, black. It is noteworthy that the color of chameleons does not change instantly. It usually takes up to a minute. After all, chromatophore cells take some time to contract and expand.

Chameleon vision

If we talk about interesting facts about these animals, unusual vision deserves special attention. Chameleons are able to rotate their eyes at an angle of 360 degrees, covering any surrounding objects. Moreover, the visual organs can rotate independently of each other. When necessary, the eyes focus on individual objects on both sides of the body. Focusing of vision in one direction occurs during the hunting of a chameleon. Thus, the lizard gets the opportunity to notice potential prey at a distance of more than 10 meters.

Hearing

As you can see, with the eyesight of such reptiles everything is in order. However, what about the perception of the sounds of the surrounding world? With hearing, such lizards were less fortunate. Like other reptiles, such as snakes, chameleons lack a middle ear. For this reason, they do not recognize most sounds. However, it cannot be argued that these lizards are deaf. In fact, their hearing is limited to a frequency range between 200 and 600 hertz.

Food

An interesting fact is that chameleons have an extremely long ballistic tongue. In most species, its dimensions exceed the parameters of the body. At the end of the tongue there is a so-called trapping sucker. During the search for food, the chameleon takes a fixed position in ambush. The rotation of the eyes in different directions allows the lizard to notice the insect. At the moment of attack, the chameleon rapidly throws out a ballistic tongue in the direction of the victim. The process of capturing and pulling prey into the mouth takes a fraction of a second.

The diet of chameleons is made up of butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers and crickets. The largest representatives of the genus of lizards are able to hunt birds and rodents. During periods of food scarcity, chameleons may consume small fruits and tree leaves.

Dimensions

An amazing fact is that the body parameters of lizards that belong to this genus vary considerably. The smallest chameleons on the planet are representatives of the species Brookesia micra. Adults can only grow up to 15 millimeters. As for the largest chameleons, these are the lizards of the species Furcifer oustaleti. Their maximum dimensions are about 70 centimeters.

Chameleon is an inhabitant of sultry Africa, who gained fame thanks to the unique ability to change skin color. This small lizard, only 30 cm long, can transform itself, becoming black, pink, green, blue, red, yellow. Many scientists have conducted various studies to find out how the chameleon changes color, and what it is connected with. It was assumed that in this way he disguises himself under the background surrounding him. But this turned out to be an incorrect assumption.

This lizard is unique in itself. She looks like a dragon, often changes skin color, sits for hours on the branches of trees, waiting for the victim, which she captures with her long tongue. Her eyes live a separate life, turning in different directions. The chameleon changes color thanks to special cells - chromatophores. His skin is transparent, which is why cells containing pigment of different colors are so clearly visible.

For a long time, researchers could not understand how a chameleon changes color, and why this happens. It was assumed that he needed this for disguise. After all, having painted, for example, in a lizard, it can disguise itself in foliage, hiding from predators and waiting for its victims. Indeed, in the course of evolution, many chameleons have learned to acquire the color and pattern of their enemy - for example, birds or snakes.

Modern research has shown that the process of how a chameleon changes color depends entirely on its condition. Skin color varies from mood changes - reactions such as fear or joy. It may even depend on the air temperature. In Africa, many chameleons get in the morning to attract, but brighten in the afternoon so that it is not so hot. They use variegated colors in mating games, in order to attract a representative of the opposite side.

Chromatophores in chameleons are located in the deep layers of the skin and are directly dependent on the nervous system. In the upper layer are cells containing red and yellow pigments. Next is guanine, which reproduces the blue color very accurately. Beneath it are melanophores responsible for black and yellow pigments and containing melanin. The way the pigment granules are arranged in the cell completely affects the color. The chameleon is a very interesting animal. After all, the pigments in its cells move very quickly, changing color. If they are concentrated in the center of the cell, then it will remain transparent, and if they are evenly distributed over it, then they will be painted in an intense color.

Nerve endings connect chromatophores to the brain, from where commands for change come. The way a chameleon changes color can be compared to a palette in which colors, mixed up, create completely new shades. Due to its ability to change skin color, this lizard has gained immense popularity. Today, other things that shimmer in different shades or change them are called chameleons.

Although it seems that by changing color, the lizard wants to disguise itself, this is not so. She doesn't care about the background at all. Skin color is influenced by mood, emotions experienced, air temperature, but not by the environment. Therefore, the opinion that when a chameleon is on it, black and white cells will appear on it, is fundamentally wrong.

To protect themselves, many animals change color to match their environment. Previously, there was an opinion that the chameleon varies its colors precisely for this reason. But the unusual reptile was not as simple as previously thought. The chameleon does not change color to scare away predators or blend in with its surroundings, as scientists have recently found out. Why does a chameleon change color? So he interacts with other individuals of his species, transmitting information, the scientific group from the University of Arizona determined.

How does a chameleon change color?

The coloration of male chameleons becomes much more intense when they compete with each other for territory or female attention, showing aggression. Surprisingly, the males that show the brightest color and quickly change the hue range on the head usually win the duel. During the confrontation, chameleons show rich yellow, orange, green and turquoise tones. With the help of catchy color signals and a sharp change in appearance, the chameleon emphasizes its superiority, and the “rainbow” fight rarely ends in physical contact. If sparring still occurs, then it lasts 5-15 seconds, no more.

Interesting to know! In total there are about 160 species of chameleons. 75 species of endemic chameleons, of which three species are close to extinction, live in Madagascar. The latest found species is the Belalanda chameleon, according to scientists, one of the rarest reptiles in the world.

Taking as a “guinea pig” a Yemeni chameleon of the species Chameleon caluptratus (distribution area - the Arabian Peninsula: the territory of Saudi Arabia and Yemen), known for its aggressive behavior, scientists fixed 28 sensors on its body and tracked the size, brightness and speed of changing color spots. During the experiment, the scientific team found that when at rest, the chameleon changes color from brown to green with yellow hues, but at the same time retains its own unique color, different from its other relatives.

How the chameleon changes the color of the video:

Interesting to know! The smallest chameleon in the world belongs to the deciduous chameleons - endemic to Madagascar of the genus Brookesia Brookesia minima - the size of an adult is about 1.5 cm. This miniature chameleon cannot change its color - it always retains a brown tint with a slight green. Scientists hypothesized that the small size of the chameleon is a kind of adaptation to the environment in order to extend the life cycle. The largest chameleon in the world is Furcifer oustaleti with a body size of up to 70 cm, along with a tail - about 1.5 m. The most unusual of the chameleons is Rwenzori Chameleon, a three-horned reptile from Uganda.

Changing the color of a chameleon: the principle

Swiss scientists have made a more detailed study of the mechanism of color change in a chameleon. They revealed the existence in the superficial layers of the skin of a reptile of a customizable lattice of nano-crystals - iridophores, which the chameleon controls through impulses from the central nervous system. The discovery of scientists was the discovery of a deeper layer of the dermis, consisting of large, less organized iridophores that reflect infrared radiation. It is the imposition of these two layers that allows the chameleon to change color from camouflage to aggressive in 1-2 minutes. In addition, the high ability of animal tissues to reflect infrared waves helps him to carry out passive thermal protection of the body.

Interesting to know! The length of the tongue and tail of the chameleon is almost 2 times the longitudinal size of the body. The sticky tongue of the reptile is organized as a trapping organ, thickening towards the end - the chameleon throws it out in a split second. The tail, along with the paws, is involved in the movement of the animal - its chameleon wraps around the branches. The reptile's eyes move inconsistently, providing a 360-degree view. The chameleon is widespread in the tropical forests of India, Sri Lanka and Madagascar, the desert part of Africa, introduced to America.

How a chameleon changes color: new study

In addition to brown, red and yellow pigments, chameleons, like other reptiles, have so-called structured shades: colors that are formed without the participation of natural skin pigmentation, but due to the physical phenomenon of optical interference. Iridophore cells consist of microscopic crystals (nano-crystals) interspersed with layers of cytoplasm, so light waves of a certain length are selectively reflected by the surface of the chameleon's skin, which leads to the formation of a bright spotted color and a change in the color of the animal.

Imagine that one autumn day, your mother calls you for dinner, and you play, wallowing in a pile of red, yellow, green and brown leaves. You don't want to leave this fairy tale at all. When your mother calls you again and even goes outside to take you into the house by force, you relax, trying to merge with the foliage. You see how the skin on your arms and hands quickly begins to change colors, becoming patchy - red, yellow, green and brown. You lie quietly and your mother passes by, grumbling under her breath: “Wow, what will I do with him when I find ...”

A smile appears on your now orange lips. You spent it again!

Being a chameleon for a day sounds funny. But what is it like to be a real chameleon? You have probably seen chameleons in pet stores, small and green. But in nature there are 84 species of chameleons. They mainly live in Madagascar - a huge island off the east coast of Africa, but are also found on the African continent, in India, Pakistan and southern Spain. Some species are less than 3 cm long, others reach 60 cm or more. Long swift tongues allow them to easily catch insects, spiders and scorpions. The largest chameleons even eat birds and small mammals.

Each chameleon has special skin cells - chromatophores, which contain a set of pigments that allow the chameleon to partially or completely change its body color. In the chameleon's body, hormones are produced that cause the chromatophores to redistribute the pigment.

All this means that the chameleon has an amazing ability to blend in with its environment - ideally repeating the color of the green leaf under which it hides, or blending into the brown trunk of a tree. As a result, a scorpion in a hurry notices its enemy too late, and a lemur jumps along the branches without noticing a nearby chameleon, which it would gladly eat for lunch. Until recently, it was believed that chameleons change color in order to hide from enemies and successfully hunt. But everything turned out to be much more complicated. First of all, chameleons change color to communicate with each other.

Have you ever seen a mood indicator? Popular in the late 1960s, the ring-shaped mood indicator changed color based on body temperature, supposedly expressing the emotions of the wearer. Well, the change in color of a chameleon is a kind of indicator of his mood. Madagascar panther chameleons change their usual green color to neon before the fight. The angrier these males, the brighter their colors - this is used to intimidate a potential enemy. (An intimidating pattern appears on the skin of representatives of other species in a similar situation).

During the mating season chameleons me? use color to attract or repel potential partners. A normally brownish female may turn bright orange, signaling that she is looking for a mate. After mating, she acquires a color reminiscent of the Halloween holiday - black with orange spots. This color scheme informs interested males that there is nothing for them to do here.

Chameleons can also use color to regulate their body temperature. As they get darker, they absorb more heat and heat up. Lighter colors will reflect more heat, helping the chameleon to cool down (we use the same principle when wearing a white T-shirt on a hot sunny day).

If you were a human chameleon, you would most likely get tired of having to express your every emotion in different colors very soon. What is the pleasure when you are flooded with a blush in the presence of the person you adore? Or imagine yourself turning bright orange like an international distress signal. No, let's leave the change of colors as a mood indicator to the lizards.

Do chameleons only change their color?

The amazing art of chameleons, small lizards, changing color has become proverbial. Hunting flies and hiding on a tree trunk, the chameleon acquires a brownish color for camouflage. Having moved to the branch, it gradually becomes green. However, in terms of “camouflage”, the chameleon is significantly superior to some marine life that can change color much faster and more effectively..

Off the coast of Australia, for example, live amazing fish that can literally change their pearly white color to red in just two seconds. And small crustaceans that live near Antarctica and usually have a red color become ... transparent in two seconds.

Changing the color of a car is the fastest way to "tune" it. There are several options for painting "exotics", one of which is to use painting with a chameleon of your preferred shade. What this process involves, what are its features, more on that later. The peak of the popularity of chameleon paint came at the turn of the millennium.

Today, this color is chosen by a few to express individuality, taste, status, therefore they do not lose. After all, the fewer twins on the roads, the cooler!

Indeed, for dudes, the appearance of the car is sometimes more important than their own image. Basically, the meaning of such a reincarnation was clear to foreign users of exotic paint. Now compatriots are trying on a camouflage shirt on their cars.

About chameleon technology

Modern chameleon paint shows bright overflows in the light of the sun. A rich color scheme on a car body can be demonstrated by a paint mixture based on artificial pigments placed on metal.

The body is painted in layers:

• chromium, aluminum (opaque, forming the base);
• two transparent layers;
• two outer, translucent.

Pigment components have a size of 1 micron, almost invisible to the naked eye. Transparent and translucent layers are characterized by a mirror property that refracts and reflects natural light.

What color scheme does chameleon paint have?

The change in color occurs due to the fact that the metal oxide is able to suppress and reflect only the glow that has a certain wavelength. The breadth of the color gamut of chameleon paint was achieved thanks to the variety of combinations of pigments and different thicknesses of applied layers.

Directly the color palette of this paint is rich and varied. It combines yellow, green, blue; purple, red, yellow, white, grey, black and so on. Moreover, there are very few exotic overflows, because they are so rare in the bank!

How much will the transformation of the car cost?

Given the high cost of the constituent components, sellers set one of the highest prices for chameleon paint. The complexity of production technologies, delivery conditions, all kinds of fees and commissions increase the cost.

Therefore, if desired, the owner of the car can purchase chameleon paint online or from official representatives. Then the price will be a little lower. To save even more money, he can paint the chameleon color with his own hands.

If you turn to specialists, then you will have to pay at least 80 - 120 thousand rubles for work along with materials. After all, the chameleon paint itself costs from a thousand euros. Those who are not put into a state of mild shock by such numbers can personally study the technology. The main thing is to strictly follow the instructions during the execution of work.

The nuances of performing painting work

It is clear that super-expensive paint can only be used on a prepared surface. Here everything should be perfect, with priming, polishing, grinding, degreasing and so on. We wrote about the technology of preparing a car for painting in previous publications. If you already have experience in the implementation of painting work, you can safely get to work.

The base is transparent, applied with extreme care. To achieve the ideal result, you need to provide bright lighting in the room. It is better to use halogen spotlights, because they are most suitable for sunlight. Then work stops.

After the colorless base has dried for ten minutes, a second layer is applied - pigment. It must be sprayed over the entire surface of the car with light movements. Between subsequent sprays, a short time interval is maintained - 5 minutes.

If this requirement is violated, the chameleon paint will acquire a different color than the sample. Whoever follows strictly according to the regulations will receive clear overflows on the body of their car exactly as they wish. To even out the color after applying the base, the surface is dusted again. The result is flawless color.

To fix the resulting camouflage shade, it remains to use a special varnish. It is applied several times. After that, the car is ready to serve its owner, as well as visit car washes in the same mode without restrictions on the use of chemicals or devices.

That's all the secrets of a quick transformation into a "chameleon". This technique is worthy of every car, whose owner has the desire to show diligence and participation in the process.

Expert: Andrey Volkov.

Wildlife has shown that only the strongest representative of the species can survive in its conditions, there are no social guarantees or state assistance for animals. But they had millions of years to spare in order to adapt to the environment and surprise people with the question, why does a chameleon change color? And this is just one example of evolutionary changes that help compete with other species.

When does a chameleon change color?

From cartoons and humorous programs, we know perfectly well that a chameleon can mimic under any surface. Chess board? No problem. Intricate pattern on the carpet? What could be easier. And now get used to the idea that a chameleon is purely physically unable to adapt to the environment, mimicry is not available to this animal. All color changes:

• Associated with indicators of ambient temperature.
• Explained by changes in humidity levels.
• May be caused by prolonged starvation or injury to the animal's eyes.
• The amount of incoming sunlight also has an effect.
• What can we say about the emotional state of the chameleon.
• Especially when it comes to fear or the instinct to reproduce.

Any change in the color of an animal's skin associated with environmental changes. This is really a response and an attempt to adapt to new conditions, but there is no question of any copying of the background.

How is the skin of a chameleon?

Lizard skin has a complex structure:

1. By itself, it is transparent, not colored by any pigments.
2. This does not prevent it from containing special cells in its thickness - chromatophores.
3. These formations contain pigment granules, which form the color of the reptile.
4. A nerve fiber approaches each cell from the side of the brain, which affects its activity.

Color change process not so complicated:

• Under the action of nerve impulses, the cells either narrow, and all the pigment accumulates in the center. Or they expand, providing a more uniform distribution of granules throughout the cytoplasm.
• The concentration of the dye at one point leads to the fact that the skin color of the chameleon becomes more saturated. Stirring all over the cage has the opposite effect.
• In addition, the position of the cells themselves in the skin of the reptile changes, and their migration occurs. Thanks to this, the blue spot from the paw can “migrate” to the back of the chameleon.
• Recently, in the skin of animals have been found iridophores- specific crystals that can bend and even reflect light.

Experimental results

Scientists are 100% sure that color change is tied to the visual apparatus of the reptile This has already been proven experimentally. Individuals with damaged eyes lose the ability to change color.

If the damage is localized on one side, the opportunity is also lost on only one half of the body. How is it connected? Perhaps the reptile unconsciously processes light waves with the help of a visual analyzer and gives commands to the cells to change the configuration. Or maybe the process obeys the will and takes place relatively consciously.

It just so happened that the chameleons were not the most talkative test subjects, and they did not consider it necessary to explain something to the scientists. Maybe not the most reasonable solution, given that the experiments are directly related to visual deprivation. It remains only to admire their ability to change their color.

Yes, they are not the only species capable of such tricks. But in popular culture, any color changes are associated with these lizards. Perhaps in the future we will get more information about how chameleons manage to refract light waves and use them to their advantage.

How does the color of a chameleon change?

In stereotypical situations, the coloration of animals changes in approximately the same way:

The animal is incapable of fighting its natural enemies, so one has to use the color of its skin as a kind of weapon in the struggle for survival .

If we talk about mimicry, it is characteristic of many insects. Going outside in the summer in a large city, you can notice mosquitoes of some “wrong” color.

But an even greater discovery will be butterflies, with a brick pattern on the wings. This is the simplest example of evolution and development, when in just a couple of generations an insect acquires a useful quality that helps to survive in a changed environment.

Why does a reptile change its color?

The chameleon changes its color:

• Because the environment has changed.
• It became sunnier or darker, the temperature rose or fell.
• In connection with the feeling of hunger or satiety.
• Due to emotional experiences, it is especially easy to notice aggression and fear.
• Even the change of day and night can paint a lizard in a different color.
• It is possible not to mention the mating season, at this time the males are especially vigorously exercising in drawing various patterns on their skin.

The reptile may try hide from predators due to changes in appearance, but she doesn't try to imitate the background. This requires a more complex structure of the skin and nervous system.

Heading with your children to the terrarium, it is better to read a few encyclopedias in advance. And then questions from a child in the spirit of “why does a chameleon change color?” can make you fall into a stupor.

Color changing chameleon video

In this video, Doctor of Biology Alfred White will tell you why and how exactly chameleons change color, demonstrate this ability on camera:

Changes color for camouflage. This is not entirely true. If you put a chameleon on the ground, he will not become in the same second (and the next too) as black as the earth, and on a snow-white sheet he will not become white. Chameleons change skin color under the influence of physiological(lighting, hunger, illness, air temperature, etc.) and emotional and volitional factors. Color change is possible only with the integrity of the brain and eye apparatus. Both the color of the whole body and its individual sections can change, the change can take place in spots or stripes. The same goes for color saturation.

What is the mechanism of skin color change in chameleons? In these animals, in the fibrous and deeper skin, there are branched cells - chromatophores, which contain various types of pigments (colored substances) in the form of grains. The grains do not have a permanent place and can move freely along the chromatophore; in particular, they can be concentrated in the center of the cell or located at its ends. In addition, the number of pigments in chromatophores is not the same: in some it is more, in others it is less. Also grains can move up and down. In addition, the chromatophores themselves can rise to the surface of the skin and make its color more intense or, conversely, move away from the surface and make the color paler.

The main mechanism that sets the pigments in motion in chromatophores is the nervous system. From the central nervous system to each chromatophore there is a nerve that transmits certain signals, causing the pigments and chromatophores to move. The eyes play an important role in changing skin color. Scientists have found that without eyes, chameleons lose their ability to change skin color. Therefore, they suggested that light is the main stimulus that sends signals through the eyes to the nervous system of the chameleon. Also, on the basis of experiments, experts suggested that in the central nervous system there are two centers responsible for color changes: volitional and automatic.

A few examples:

The concentration of grains in the center of the chromatophore, as a result of the contraction of its processes, makes the skin light (white, yellow, white-yellow),
- dark pigment, concentrated in the processes of the chromatophore, gives a dark to black color,
- green color - the result of the refraction of sunlight in the cells of the surface layer of the skin, rich in guanidines,
- removal of the optic nerve, for example, from the left eye makes the entire left half of the chameleon's body white,
- during the mating season, chameleons are able to change their color and color saturation in a split second,
- under anesthesia, the skin of chameleons is darker to black, and when sick or dead, it brightens to almost white.