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Color showdown
Science World, April 21, 2008 by Jennifer Moser
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Chameleons are famous for their ability to change their skin color to match their surroundings. But for these quickchange artists, color has a more important purpose: communication.
Chameleons can turn from green to brown in seconds. The reptile's brain sends a signal to layers of pigment-containing cells in the skin called chromatophores. These cells respond by rearranging the pigments to reveal different colors.
Male chameleons use this color-changing ability to display vibrant colors that attract females and intimidate rival males, says Devi Stuart-Fox, a zoologist at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
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She discovered that chameleons that changed color most during these show-off displays lived in habitats without a wide variety of backgrounds. Since those chameleons wouldn't need many color variations for camouflage, Stuart-Fox believes that color changing developed primarily as a way to stand out, not blend in.
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