chameleon

The ability of chameleons to change the color of their skin often makes us confused. The question is: how do they do it? A group of scientists from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, managed to answer our curiosity. Apparently, chameleons change their skin tone by adjusting the layers of the special cells contained in their skin.

Unlike octopus and squid that can also change their skin color, chameleons do not change color by collecting color pigments in skin cells. "Instead, these reptile animals rely on structural changes that are affected by the reflection of light onto the skin," said Michel Milinkovitch, a study leader who is also a professor of genetic evolution.

To investigate the process of color change in reptile animals, the researchers studied five adult male chameleons, four female chameleons, and four chameleon panther (Furcifer pardalis) adolescents - a type of chameleon living in Madagascar. Scientists have found that chameleons have two thick layers in iridofor cells, pigment-producing cells and are responsible for reflecting light.

This iridofor cell contains nanocrystals of various sizes, shapes, and structures. This cell is the key to the dramatic color change of the chameleon. With this cell, the chameleon alters the structural arrangement of the upper layers of skin cells by relaxing and pulling the skin into the body, which then changes its color.

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