The truth about chameleons

EVERYONE knows that chameleons can change colour. But most of us have entirely the wrong idea about why they do itReputation: Chameleons can change colour to blend in with their surroundings.

Reality: Sometimes, but changing colour is much more often about sex. They also have cool eyes and fast tongues. One chameleon even spends more time inside the egg than out of it.

Everyone knows chameleons can change colour, but why do they do it? Suppose you were given these three options: (a) to blend in with their surroundings, (b) to get a mate, or (c) to impress humans.

Most people would instinctively lump for the camouflage option. But the real answer is (b).

It’s not a hard-and-fast rule: there is some evidence that the colourful antics of chameleons can be a disguise. For instance, the dwarf chameleon Bradypodion taeniabronchum seems to match its surroundings more closely when confronted with a predator with better colour vision.

For most chameleons, however, changing colour is all about obtaining a mate.

In their natural environment, most chameleons blend in with their surroundings pretty well, says ecologist Kristopher Karsten of California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

So when they change colour, they tend to make themselves more conspicuous. “They get away from the cryptic,” says Karsten.

Competing males will often battle it out with a colour-change face-off. Both males and females will try to impress with a dermal flush.

So when we use the word “chameleon” to describe people who are a bit fickle or changeable, we are getting it wrong. A chameleon in the midst of a colour change probably isn’t so much acting shifty as it is sexually aroused. –BBC/Earth

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.