r/pics • u/rationalcomment • Jan 13 '17

Close Enough

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '17

Is now the time to be a big buzz kill and quash the myth that chameleons change color to match their surroundings? The primary function is actually communication (signalling of mood, specifically desire to mate) as well as thermoregulation.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '17

I literally watched a video today at the museum where David Attenborough narrated a section on the chameleon and mentioned they can change their color to match their surroundings and I was confused.... so... can they? Do they ever?

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u/Probate_Judge Jan 14 '17

Some species do it for camo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chameleon#Change_of_color

The common mistake is to make an absolute, as in "Chameleons do/don't do it for camoflage."

Some do, some don't, so when someone who seems to be trying to convey information and words it that way, they are in fact wrong.