In Images: Colorful Chameleons Change Colors During Combat

Veiled chameleons

chameleon

(Image credit: © Megan Best)

Veiled chameleons are one of many chameleon species capable of changing colors. But, contrary to the common perception of these animals, their ability to change colors helps more with social interactions than with camouflage.

Vibrant colors

(Image credit: © Megan Best)

In the blink of an eye, stripes all over the animal's body can morph from light green to darker green or light blue.

Colors in competition

chameleon

(Image credit: © Megan Best)

In a recent study, Arizona State University researchers found that male veiled chameleons are more likely to win competitions with other males if they have brighter colors that change more quickly than their rivals.

Side color vs. head color

chameleon

(Image credit: © Megan Best)

The researchers found that the chameleons changed color in different parts of their bodies depending on the stage of competition: Leading up to physical contact, the stripes on the sides of their bodies changed; during physical contact, the colors on the tops of their heads changed.

Warding off competition

(Image credit: © Megan Best)

Sometimes, coloration is used to avoid fights altogether: Duller-colored individuals tend to back away from more brightly colored individuals even before a fight begins.

The hiss

chameleon

(Image credit: Russel Ligon)

A chameleon hisses in aggression leading up to a confrontation.

The approach

(Image credit: Megan Best)

Opponents look each other over, sussing out the competition.

"I'm coming for you."

(Image credit: Russel Ligon)

A dominant male flashes bright colors as its duller rival hides on a branch.

Laura Poppick
Live Science Contributor
Laura Poppick is a contributing writer for Live Science, with a focus on earth and environmental news. Laura has a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Laura has a good eye for finding fossils in unlikely places, will pull over to examine sedimentary layers in highway roadcuts, and has gone swimming in the Arctic Ocean.