Here's a question for you!

**The Last Spartan** · August 03, 2007, 01:44 AM

Not sure if this is in the right forum, but I have a question for all you biologists out there.

If you put a chameleon in a room of mirrors, what color would it become? (I heard the question off of Brainiac)

**Chaigidel** · August 03, 2007, 07:08 AM

he would probably go red or spotty, because he would see other chameleons and feel the need to puff out and make himself seem impressive ?

**Quacky** · August 03, 2007, 07:59 AM

Something like a warning/imposing sort of thing as Chaigidel says from seeing so many competing chameleons. Unless of course it was a really small room of mirrors so whichever way he looked he saw the reflection of parts of himself so it wouldn't matter what colour he was he'd blend in.

**Hypocracy** · August 03, 2007, 12:38 PM

Well, as wikipedia says (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chameleon#Change_of_color) chameleons don't actually change colour to match their surroundings, but as an expression of their physical and psychological condition, as well as to communicate. So they might indeed change to seem more important or to impress, or maybe go exactly the other way and communicate in an increasingly friendly manner

**issues** · August 03, 2007, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by The Last Spartan

Not sure if this is in the right forum, but I have a question for all you biologists out there.

If you put a chameleon in a room of mirrors, what color would it become? (I heard the question off of Brainiac)

Commit suicide out of the despair you have caused the poor thing.

**The Last Spartan** · August 05, 2007, 08:16 PM

What I don't get is that since a chameleon changes colors for it's mood, then how come it looks strikingly similar to their surroundings most of the time?

**Earl of Rochester** · August 06, 2007, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by The Last Spartan

What I don't get is that since a chameleon changes colors for it's mood, then how come it looks strikingly similar to their surroundings most of the time?

Well If you had read the wiki article

Despite popular belief, chameleons cannot change colour to their surroundings. Chameleons are naturally coloured for their surroundings as a camouflage.

Which of course makes sense, seeing as many animals are colored to blend in.

**Simetrical** · August 06, 2007, 09:37 PM

First of all, how many chameleons have you actually seen to be able to make such a judgment? Second of all, tons of animals look strikingly similar to their normal surroundings. It's just camouflage. Wikipedia is plausible enough for me, here.

**Medicus** · August 13, 2007, 01:40 AM

Transparent

**Simetrical** · August 13, 2007, 05:30 PM

Incidentally, if the behavior of chameleons were actually as popularly thought, the answer to the initial question would be "any, provided they're all the same".