{"id":336,"date":"2018-10-25T18:50:05","date_gmt":"2018-10-25T18:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reptilefollower.com\/?p=336"},"modified":"2023-12-12T07:52:17","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T07:52:17","slug":"what-chameleon-colors-mean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reptilefollower.com\/what-chameleon-colors-mean\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does a Chameleon\u2019s Color Actually Mean? (Its not what you think)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever wondered what a Chameleon’s colors mean (Click here for my best Chameleon Guide, on Amazon<\/a>)?Most people assume they blend to match their environment, in this article you will find out why that is not necessarily true and more about this intriguing lizard.<\/p>\n

What Does a Chameleon’s Color Change Actually Mean?The color-changing skin of the chameleon is NOT meant as a camouflage against predators. For chameleons, their color changing is a form of communication and a form of adaptation to their environment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With that being said, what things can really trigger thier color change?Lets understand exactly what causes this, please read on.<\/p>\n

We would love to hear from you.Leave your comments below and tell us your thoughts on chameleons and their bright colors.<\/p>\n

Color Changing Triggers<\/span><\/h2>\n

Mood.<\/span><\/strong> Chameleons use their coloring to indicate their moods.<\/span><\/span> Bright blue coloring with red spots can signify male aggression toward a potential sexual rival.<\/span> Males and females change their coloring to indicate whether they are “single and looking” or not.<\/span><\/span> Female chameleons show different patterns to display whether or not they are sexually available.<\/span><\/p>\n

Temperature.<\/span><\/strong> Chameleons also change their color to soak up as many sun rays as possible.<\/span><\/span> During cooler times of the day, their skin will become dark to absorb more of the heat from the sun.<\/span> During hotter times of the day, their skin can become lighter to reflect more sunlight, thus keeping them cooler.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Stress levels.<\/span><\/strong> Chameleons indicate their stress levels both to themselves and to each other by changing their color.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Darker color crystallization in their skin means that they are more stressed out.<\/span> Also, darker, muted colors (without defined patterns) can also indicate this.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Communication.<\/span><\/strong> Female chameleons change their colors to show a row of large white spots when they are pregnant.<\/span><\/span> Their pregnancy is called “gravid”.<\/span> This warns male chameleons to stay away during their pregnancy.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What is Deemed as a Chameleon’s Neutral Color?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

You can observe a chameleon’s “true color” the most when it is sleeping.<\/span> Because their skin color change is NOT accomplished by moving around pigmentation, there is no “baseline” color for them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, their skin has a crystallization effect which is regrouped to form different colors, patterns, and interesting details.<\/span><\/p>\n

A chameleon’s true color is considered that of a pale opalescent color or a sort of whitish color.<\/span> Think of a crystal without any directed light pointed at it.<\/span><\/span> It kind of has a frosted glass appearance.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is essentially what happens to a chameleon’s skin if it is not being specifically focused to reflect certain colors.<\/span> The foundation colors of specific types of chameleons can be slightly varied, such as a pale green for the veiled chameleon and a light tan for the panther chameleon.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What is an Aggressive Color?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Chameleons change their colors fast when they want to signal aggression to an opponent, especially to a rival during mating season.<\/span><\/p>\n

They flatten their bodies vertically, making the sides of their bodies very large, and they display the colors of aggression, sometimes green and yellow with black outlines and sometimes blue and red with black outlines and blotches, depending on the species of chameleon.<\/span><\/p>\n

These intense color changes mean aggression and warn off the opponent.<\/span> However, just like with other species, you can usually tell who is going to win in a fight before it even begins.<\/span><\/span> The chameleons with the fastest changing head colors were found to be the most likely winner against a rival.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Color indicates Mating Time?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Chameleons are at their<\/span> most colorful<\/span><\/a><\/u> when the males are mating with or seeking to attract the females.<\/span><\/span> Male mating colors are brightly garish and richly striped.<\/span><\/p>\n

These colors can be anything from bright blue-green to a green and red and black and white striped appearance to even a yellow and red striped background.<\/span><\/p>\n

Panther chameleons are the species which produce the most flamboyant colors when mating and also produce the most aggressive colors when warning off a sexual rival.<\/span><\/p>\n

Female chameleons are very pale and non-colored during mating time.<\/span> They have a light color, ranging from a light golden tan to a light solid red when their mating time comes, depending on the species of chameleon.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Chameleon Basic Facts?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

The veiled chameleon’s scientific name is “Chamaeleo calyptratus”.<\/span> The panther chameleon’s scientific name is “Furcifer pardalis”.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The veiled chameleon and the panther chameleon are the most colorful and the most common pets in households.<\/span> There are also three varieties of pygmy chameleons which have colors ranging from black to brown to gray and are therefore not kept as pets very often.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What Other Names do Chameleons Have?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Chameleons are also known as Old World Lizards, because of their ancient roots and their direct evolutionary ties to prehistoric reptiles and even have some tenuous DNA which is connected to dinosaurs, like the stegosaurus.<\/span><\/p>\n

The name “chameleon” is from a compound of Greek words meaning “on the ground” and “lion”.<\/span> Their long, fast-moving tongues are often twice the length of their bodies (without the tail) and their eyes move independently from one another.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Something interesting that we’ll review a little later is the fact that chameleon’s see in both colored light and ultraviolet light.<\/span> This means that those aggressive stripes you noticed on rival males would perhaps be even more distinctive and threatening to appear through their ultraviolet lens.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Where is a Chameleon’s Natural Habitat?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Chameleons come from a variety of places, but most of the 89 species come from Madagascar, as well as from southern Africa.<\/span> There are a couple of species which live in Asia, one in India and one in Sri Lanka.<\/span><\/span> There is also a European chameleon which lives in northern Africa and southern Spain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their habitats vary widely from tropical, humid rainforests to dry desert lands.<\/span> They sometimes live in open grassland, but most species live in trees.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It is important to find out the particular variety of chameleon that you have or that you will get for a pet.<\/span> Different varieties have different tolerances.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How Big is a Chameleon?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The most popular chameleons to have as pets, the veiled chameleon and the panther chameleon, range from 35 to 60 cm in length.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the pygmy varieties and the Jackson’s chameleon have much smaller lengths.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Long do Chameleons Usually Live?<\/span> (What is Their Lifespan?)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

All chameleons have an average lifespan for 5 years.<\/span> Female panther chameleons who give birth have an average lifespan of 2 to 4 years.<\/span><\/span> Giving birth seems to drop one to three years off of their total lifespan.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bearded pygmy chameleon and the spectral pygmy chameleon have a lifespan of 3 to 5 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

What if you want to have a long-living chameleon?<\/span> For that, you will need to choose a Jackson’s chameleon (5 to 10 years) or a Usambara pygmy pitted chameleon (5 to 11 years).<\/span><\/span> Provided that you take extra special care of your pets and learn all about how to read them and provide for them, there is a strong likelihood of these particular pets lasting toward the end of their predicted lifespan.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is pretty incredible and pretty special for a reptile.<\/span> Reptiles of any variety don’t usually live that long.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What is the Ideal Housing for a Chameleon?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Because chameleons live in a wide variety of habitats, you will need to provide plenty of stimulation for your pet chameleon.<\/span> This means that it requires a fairly elaborate setup in order to be stimulated in all possible ways and in order to feel comfortable at all times of the day.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This means a wide variety of materials:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n