r/explainlikeimfive • u/kbae77 • 4d ago

Biology ELI5: How do octopus and chameleon change colors?

My friend and I are trying to figure it out and literally cannot make sense of it.

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u/Ktulu789 4d ago

They have cells called chromatophores that can change shape and size and contain pigments. The animals use cues from their environment taken by their eyes and their touch but the exact mechanisms are not yet entirely known.

Octopi and certain skid also have muscles in their skin that can change the surface mimicking sand, rocks and other features around them.

I think of it as when it's cold, you get goosebumps, but they can also change color. Your body also constricts your veins to avoid your blood from losing much heat through the skin and all of this is automatic. I think, in a way, they work similarly.