The chameleon

(Picture source)

I'm going to talk about an animal that has fascinated me since I was little, since I actually saw this ad on TV (and yes, I'm a child of TV, child of the 1980s- 1990; o)). This is an advertisement for a VHS video cassette (old DVD for the youngest).

(Video source)

The Chameleon is part of the family of saurians (iguanas, lizards, lizards, crocodile, ...), it can be between 3 and 70 cm long depending on the species (there are about 200 and the majority live in Madagascar).

There are some who may have small horns, crests or helmets, a bit like dinosaurs. The Chameleon lives mainly in the forest to have shade, water and food available. The movement of his eyes is spectacular, I had the opportunity to observe the zoo and it's quite extraordinary to see him move his eyes that can go in all directions.

To eat, he takes out his long sticky tongue that allows him to catch insects (grasshoppers, locusts, spiders ...) unconscious that would arise near him. The largest chameleons also feed on small birds and lizards. He also has a long tail that he can wrap around the branches to keep himself in balance when hunting or sleeping. At the breeding level, the chameleon breeds several times per season. The female lays eggs and about 3 months later, the babies come out. The chameleon lives about 4 years maximum.

http://www.maxisciences.com/cameleon/assistez-a-la-naissance-fantastique-d-039-un-petit-cameleon_art34688.html

(Video source)

Its colors change

As I told you about BASF advertising, this is the explanation of the fast change of color. This two-function coloring, the first is to show his mood, whether he is angry or in a good mood, or ready to fight or ready to reproduce. The second function is used to camouflage to hide from a danger, a predator or their prey to better take them by surprise.

When it becomes darker, when for example it wants to be confused with the color of a tree branch, this change is made thanks to the contraction of small muscles that deform its pigment cells, suddenly contracting the pigments its less visible because tight and on the contrary when they relax, the pigments are more dispersed and therefore more visible.

Apparently, her skin would be composed of two distinct layers, one that reflects more blue colors when calm and more red and yellow colors when stressed or nervous. He becomes redder, for example, when he is angry and ready to fight.

The second layer as for it serves more to regulate its temperature.

That's it, I hope you've been interested in this article, I've learned a lot about the chameleon from investigating the one to write this post, there are some more scientific passages that I do not have everything seized but I think my article is clear and accessible to all, in any case I wrote so that it is understandable even for non scientists like me.

Look at its eyes and it's longue! It's fantastic 👀

(Vidéo source)