Chameleons Change Color by Design

Dewey Lye, one of the hands at the Darwin Ranch up near Deception Pass, got himself a chameleon. It was a real one, not one of those green anoles often passed off as chameleons. He did well, getting the right housing and considering reasons not to own one, and does not handle it overmuch.

These reptiles reside in several warm areas. Species have learned to live in places that are dry or rainy. Those independently rotating eyes and the slow movements can be fascinating. When it zaps a bug with its long tongue — now that is fast.

Panther chameleon, Wikimedia Commons / Charles J. Sharp (CC BY-SA 4.0)

While some of chameleons' startling ability to change color is caused by blending in with a surface, mood has a great deal to do with it. Males meeting males can bring out fightin' hues. They were equipped by the Master Engineer to change color by using cells that act as photonic crystals. (I wonder if evolutionists can give a plausible explanation as to how this happened without using Just-So Stories and arbitrary assertions... nah.) Also, scientists are studying these for human applications (biomimetics) in several interesting ways.

Chameleons are unique lizards of the reptile clan. The family contains 200 species and has many unique features that may qualify it as a single created kind. The panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) has been a major research subject in color technology. Male adults of this species have a greater range of color variation than juveniles and females. Although they can change color and be camouflaged with their environment, male color change is based mostly on their emotional state. Emotions change when they meet other competitive males, or when females capture their interest. Skin color can shift dramatically as blue patches turn yellow to white and red patches grow brighter without changing hue. In just a few minutes their colors can revert back to the original.

You can read the entire article over at "Chameleons’ Color of Divine Wisdom." The following video is interesting but I suggest muting that annoying music.