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Chameleons: colour me green

Writer: Dr Anina Lee.

Common sense tells us that chameleons have green skin. But science tells us that chameleons have no green pigments in their skins at all. So, why is common sense so wrong? To answer that we need to look at what a chameleon does have in its skin and that’s more complicated than you would think.

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Chameleons change colour according to their mental state. The Cape Dwarf Chameleon (top) is relaxed while the one above is frightened.

Chameleon skin has many layers There are several layers of cells in the skin. The outermost layer of skin is transparent, so that whatever goes on underneath it can be seen through the top layer.

Pigment layer Below the transparent layer are cells that contain yellow and red pigment. These are known as ‘chromatophores’. These pigments are what colour areas of the chameleon’s skin yellow and red. Cape Dwarf Chameleons have mostly yellow chromatophores. Chameleons from Madagascar have more red chromatophores.

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 8)

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