Do Chameleons Change Color to Hide From Predators? {Defense Mechanisms Explained}

Your home may not include any predators, but your chameleon may not know that. They are always alert. Do chameleons change color to hide from predators?

How else can a chameleon protect themselves?

In this article, I will share the latest research and experience. Hopefully, you will understand chameleon color changes a bit better a few minutes of reading.

Do Chameleons Change Color to Hide From Predators?

Of course you know that chameleons change colors, but why are they doing so? Hiding from predators keeps animal species from going extinct. Chameleons have survived for millions of years and their color shifting adaptation gives them a huge edge to stay alive.

Birds of prey are common predators that cannot see chameleons when our reptile friends blend in with the surface beneath them whether it’s the ground, a tree branch, leaves or shrubbery.

The outline of a chameleon is masked and blurred in the vision of predators. Speaking of vision, chameleons see other animals before they are spotted and begin to camouflage themselves before they are even noticed.

Do Chameleons Change Color For Protection?

A quick color change gives a chameleon an excellent escape strategy if they remain motionless. A predator may think that the target in their sight has fled the scene even if the would-be prey is still there.

This is an excellent way for a chameleon to protect themselves. Other reasons include:

  • regulating temperature
  • communicating with their counterparts
  • catching their own prey
  • displaying their mood

If a chameleon feels threatened, a color change is not all they can do. Perceived fear or other defense mechanism in chameleons include:

What Does A Scared Chameleon Do?

Chameleons often refuses contact with owners because they have not bonded or recognize us yet. In the wild, they adaptated to remain solitary and undisturbed. They may wish to hide in dark spaces and blend in with darker colors.

Frankly speaking, if my chameleon’s color appears darker than usual, this is an obvious giveaway that he doesn’t wish to be bothered. He might feel scared, nervous or even angry. Scared chameleons:

  • Hide
  • Change color
  • Hiss
  • Bite
  • Puff themselves up
  • Glare
  • Dart away

A bite from a chameleon usually doesn’t cause much damage, but it could be enough for a predator to look elsewhere for an easier meal.

The best offense for a chameleon is their defense. If they can defend themselves from predators by being unseen, they are going to live to see another day.

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Does A Chameleon’s Skin Protect Them?

Chameleons can get cut, wounded, bruised and injured like many other animals. They do have protection on their bodies with their four layers of skin.

  1. The protective layer is on top. What you may call scales are also a part of their epidermis.
  2. This is followed by the chromatophore layer where yellow and red pigments are located.
  3. The melanophore layer contains melanin to display brown, blue and black colors.
  4. Finally the nether layer reflects white.

As you can see, the skin is not only protecting them from harm as a form of armor, It also acts as a reflective tool to blend in by absorbing light and mimicking surrounding surfaces.

Chameleons Avoiding Predators

Do Chameleons run fast? At 21 miles per hour for the higher end of chameleon quickness, I would have to say that is pretty fast. They cannot sustain this speed, but are able to resort to running away when times get tough and there is no other way out from a predator’s reach.

Chameleons would prefer to avoid predators by hiding in plain sight. Instead of thinking about chameleons changing colors, think of it as reflecting colors around them like a mirror does.

A chameleon is like a mirror in this perspective. If a chameleon is spotted., they may have to defend themselves with hissing, puffed up bodies, clawing and scratching with their hind legs.

Avoiding the worst predator of all is the human who is responsible for deforestation and the loss of their habitat. The way to avoid that is unknown to a wild chameleon and depends on us to either adopt them under our care or reduce deforestation as their only hope for survival.

What Is It Called When a Chameleon Changes Color?

When a chameleon changes color, this is usually referred to as camouflage, but there is a more specific term. Metachrosis comes from the separation of syllables to explain many (meta-) colors (chroma-).

Many colors are being witnessed by a reptile that can use pigmentation to reflect and absorb light around them.

Translocating pigments or reorienting them with their chromatophores under their epidermis gives chameleons an excellent advantage in the wild to camouflage themselves.

How To Tell If Your Chameleon Is Cold

Chameleons are ectotherms meaning they are cold-blooded. The environment around them is going to regulate their body temperature and they cannot do it from within.

This is why we create basking areas and use heat lamps in their enclosures to give them the support and space to warm up when they are cold. A cold chameleon may turn darker in color and absorb more heat.

Think about when you are wearing a black T-shirt and feeling hotter than when you are wearing white. Darker color on a chameleon acts the same way to absorb the light and heat.

The opposite is true on the hottest day where chameleons would dress in lighter tones as their pigments expand and display yellows or greens instead of darker blues, browns and blacks.

Final Thoughts

Understanding why your chameleon changes colors and limiting their fears or concerns under your care will create a relaxed atmosphere for your reptile companion.

We wish for chameleons to enjoy their lands in the wild without the threat of losing their habitat to predators and deforestation while dong our best to care for them in captivity.

 

Thank you for visiting PocketPetCentral.com for the best information to help you enjoy the life of your pocket pet companion in a fun, safe & healthy way.

Anna

My name is Anna and I work full time in my local pet shop where we sell many animals that I write about on this site. I love all animals and love writing about them.