Shedding Question

[CGFlyer]

First off, I thi nk the way my chameleons shed is a hoot. It takes just a few hours and BAM! all of the dried flaky skin is off.

So, my question, is shedding how they get new colors? Is it a sort of prerequisit to change their pigment, or are they completely unrelated and shedding is simply a factor of physical growth, not coloration?

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I think when they're younger the newer skin develops a little bit more each shed, but when they're mature their color doesn't change. Shedding is just a physical growth thing in adult chams.

 

[CGFlyer]

I wasn't sure. I know chameleons have specialized cells called chromatophores that lie in layers under their transparent outer skin...giving them the ability to change colors. I'm assuming that when they shed, it is the transparent layer. So maybe the maturation of the chromatophores is strictly chemical and changes based on age/sexual maturity/etc...and the shed has nothing to do with anything other than physical growth at any age.