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Chameleon’s strange ability to change color for a long time puzzled people, but now the secret of the lizard is revealed! According to new research, chameleons can quickly change their color, by regulating the level of special skin cells. Unlike other animals (squid and octopus) that change skin color, accumulating dispersing pigments in its cells, lizards rely on on structural changes in the skin that regulate sunlight reflected from them.
To understand how reptiles change skin color, researchers studied five adult males, four females, as well as four young Furcifer pardalis chameleons (a species of lizard that lives on Madagascar). As a result, scientists found that the skin of chameleons has two combined thick layers of rainbow cells that have pigment and reflect light.
Rainbow cells contain nanocrystals of various sizes and forms. They are the key factor that plays a major role. in color transformation of chameleons. To find out how nanocrystals display light, experts used a number of methods to study rainbow cells. They shot change rates Chameleon colors using high-resolution video created numerous models, manipulated cells, subjecting them to chemical solutions of various concentrations. As a result, the researchers found that chameleons can change the structural layout of the upper layer of cells by weakening or irritation of the skin, which leads to a change in it colors.
For example, a male chameleon may be in a relaxed the state when it is hanging on a branch, and in an excited state, when noticing an opponent or threat. In a relaxed state nanocrystals and iris reptile skin cells are very close to each other. This means that cells in this state only short waves will be displayed (the blue we see color).
On the other hand, when the lizard is in an excited state, the distance between adjacent nanocrystals increases, and each rainbow cell (which contains these nanocrystals) selectively reflects longer waves such as yellow, orange or red color. In addition, in order to disguise chameleons use the yellow pigment contained in their skin, which when shifted with “blue” waves, it dyes the skin green, hiding a reptile among trees and plants. Also researchers found in the skin of the chameleons deeper and more a thick layer of cells that reflects a huge amount infrared sunlight. Although these cells do not affect lizard color change, it is possible that they help reptiles reflect heat and keep cool, they say researchers.
However, as it turned out, only adult males are chameleons change color, especially when they notice a competitor or a female, whose attention they want to attract. Females and young individuals have a low the level of rainbow cells, so the color of their skin is stable.
