How do chameleons change color? | #aumsum #kids #science #education #children

Firstly, chameleons don't change color to camouflage. Instead, they change color to regulate their body temperature and to express their mood to other chameleons.

The skin of chameleons has various colored pigments such as yellow, red, etc. Below the pigment, there are nano crystals of various sizes and shapes. The spacing between these nano crystals is primarily responsible for its color change. When chameleons are relaxed, the nano crystals are close to each other. In this case, when light composed of various colors falls on the crystals, they reflect colors like blue, indigo, etc. This blue color along with the yellow color reflected by the pigment make chameleons appear green.

However, when chameleons are excited, the spacing between the nano crystals increases. In such a case, they reflect colors such as red, orange, etc. The red color combined with the yellow color reflected by the pigment make the chameleons appear orange.