Mimicrty for real? or not with color change..

[Muddyfeet]

OK I know chams really don't change color to match their environment..


BUT is this true for all species??
I have noticed with my pigmy chams.. not just the usual color changes.. But really looks very suspicious that they are matching the background..
Also noted, they develop a little different texture of the skin to..

Anyone else noted this with these guys.. or I am just being silly??
Not kidding took be forever to find this guy today and he was right in the open!

 

[Cait0420]

I have two rudis chams and they do the same thing! I bought some fake orang/brown leaf thingys and they match it perfectly. It took me a hour to find one this morning and he was right I front of me the whole time

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Yes chameleons change to better blend with their environment. They do not change perfectly or to colors they can't display naturally. And of course not to checkerboards or backgrounds like they do in the movies. But the rumor started somewhere because they do change to better blend in. I had a red/orange plant in with my female panthers and the females were all a bright orange to match better. And my pygs would always change like you described.

 

[Carlton]

Yes chameleons change to better blend with their environment. They do not change perfectly or to colors they can't display naturally. And of course not to checkerboards or backgrounds like they do in the movies. But the rumor started somewhere because they do change to better blend in. I had a red/orange plant in with my female panthers and the females were all a bright orange to match better. And my pygs would always change like you described.

I agree. It's not that they can match the background exactly, but break up their silhouetted shape by shifting lighter or darker, and enhancing little marking patterns within their individual ability. The same idea behind camouflage fabrics...it doesn't really match any specific background, but there are variations of camouflage cloth that will work better in specific situations. Pygmy chams that have the marking/color range that works the best in their specific local habitat are the ones that survive to pass those traits on. And, I'll bet the diversity in individuals is pretty high depending on locale. Think about anoles. They shift from green to brown, and tend to make the shift when they are on the "right" backgrounds even if they can't match it all that closely.

 

[qdude46]

When my pygmy sneaks in behind my crock background where the cork is lighter and kinda flat, he's always yellowish and light brown with stripes, way different than he normally is.