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seVen's avatar

What makes camouflage creatures change and how they know when to change exactly and when not to?

Asked by seVen (3489points) July 4th, 2009 from iPhone

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SeventhSense's avatar

It’s a little known biological feature and physiological response called Wikipedia

Some species can rapidly change colour through mechanisms that translocate pigment and reorient reflective plates within chromatophores. This process, often used as a type of camouflage, is called physiological colour change. Cephalopods such as octopus have complex chromatophore organs controlled by muscles to achieve this, while vertebrates such as chameleons generate a similar effect by cell signaling. Such signals can be hormones or neurotransmitters and may be initiated by changes in mood, temperature, stress or visible changes in local environment.

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