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Project Noah Nature School
Furcifer pardalis
Spotted on Nov 6, 2011
Submitted on Feb 17, 2014
3 Comments
Congratulations Stephen W! Your spotting has been chosen for Project Noah fact of the Day: "The Panther chameleon, a species native to Madagascar, has one of the most spectacular color displays in the natural world. But how does it change its color? Recent research has shed some light on some of the physical mechanisms behind this. Fish, amphibians and reptiles all possess skin cells called iridophores, which contain small reflective crystals arranged in a network throughout the cells. When the Panther chameleon is calm, the crystals are organized in a dense lattice which reflects blue light most strongly. When the chameleon becomes excited, at the sight of either a competing male or a receptive female, the lattice loosens up so that yellows and reds become reflected best. As a result of this the chameleon’s background skin color shifts from green to yellow, its blue patterning turns white and its red becomes brighter. All this happens within a matter of minutes!
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/150302...
Panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) spotted in Madagascar by Project Noah user Stephen W"
https://www.facebook.com/projectnoah/pho...
Superb !
Like the a rainbow,amazing collours,Wow :-)