20+ Animals That Change Color

Many animals modify their appearance in various ways. This may involve using a certain appendage, spreading out their body or even using items in their environment. Changing color is one of the most intriguing for us. Whether we realize it or not, we change color to reveal certain things about ourselves. For example, blushing is a natural way we can change color, which signals embarrassment.

Animals may not feel embarrassment as we humans do, but there are many other reasons they will use color change. These include:

• Survival: running away from predators and camouflaging themselves in their environment is one of the most important reasons for changing color. Animals like the chameleon mimic the colors of their environment, which makes it very difficult for predators to see them. This allows the animal to flee or hide more effectively.
• Thermoregulation: other species may modify their body color in reaction to ambient temperature. This is usually the case in animals which are unable to regulate their body temperature through metabolism. For this reason, changing color can help an animal absorb more heat in cold seasons and reflect heat to stay cool in the summer.
• UV protection: although it may not be perceived visually, UV light can damage the cells on an animal's body. Color changes in some animals are thought to be used to protect them from UV rays, such as Atlantic krill, which may use this ability to protect themselves from both seasonal and daily changes^[1].
• Mating: modifying their body color is a way many animals can attract a member of the opposite sex during mating rituals. Colorful and bright colors can attract the attention of a possible mate, or a display of color can make them seem more appealing than a rival.
• Communication: while camouflage is one reason why a chameleon changes color, they also engage in this process to relay information about their condition. Whether this is physiological or psychological, color changes can be an important way to communicate with other members of their species.
• Aposematism: in an animal's attempt to evade predation, it may not only change color to hide in its environment. Some change color to take on the appearance of a certain danger, even if they do not actually have the ability to cause harm. This could mean looking poisonous or taking on the appearance of a predator higher up on the food chain that could scare off their own predator. This is known as aposematism. Some toads in the Amazon basin which have the ability to change to a red pattern appear to be bolder than toads which lack this ability^[2].

All the reasons an animal may change color are not yet known to us, since animal communication is such a difficult thing to interpret. How they change color is also difficult to determine, but we share some insight below:

These purposes can overlap. A display that warns a predator, for example, may also help an animal communicate with others nearby. In many species, the colors and patterns an animal shows depend on its surroundings as well as what it is doing at the time.

The mechanisms by which an animal can change color are varied. Different types of animal have different physical structures. For this reason, a reptile will not necessarily be able to transform color in the same way as an insect. At the same time, two seemingly very different animals may use similar mechanisms to change color.

For example, chameleons and cephalopods both have cells called chromatophores. These cells contain various types of pigment. They are located in the three outer layers of the skin, with each layer containing pigments corresponding to different colors. The chromatophores also use reflective plates to change their hue under different lights. The actual color may look different depending on the type of ambient light and how a particular animal receives light. Many blue-colored animals aren't even technically blue, but look so due to light reflecting off certain cells.

An animal's own vision can be used to help it change color. Vision is necessary to decipher light levels. Depending on the amount of light in an environment, the animal can make its skin appear in different colors. The process is relatively simple. The eyeball deciphers the light intensity and transports the information to the pituitary gland. The gland then secretes a hormone into the bloodstream, which alerts the skin to the particular color required.

Some animals do not change color in their skin, but in their fur or plumage. For example, in birds, color change occurs to differentiate between sexes. Many birds have darker and less colorful feathers at the beginning of their lives, which develop into more colorful shades as they mature. The same goes for many mammals which change the color of their fur. However, fur color may also change seasonally for protection. For example, fur may look whiter in winter to help animals blend into snowy areas.

The speed at which an animal can change color depends on the mechanism. Many color changes require a long cellular metabolic process which leads to color change. Animals may need to synthesize certain enzymes, release hormones or have their color change determined by specific genetic factors. Tanning is a color change process in humans which occurs due to melanin absorbing light rays. This is quicker than a bird changing its plumage, but longer than a chameleon changing color.

Some changes are controlled quickly by the nervous system, while others happen gradually as pigments or hormones build up. This is why a sudden color display can be useful during an interaction, while a seasonal coat change takes much longer. Color can also result from the way light reflects off a surface, rather than from pigment alone.

As we referenced above, human beings are a species which can undergo color change, even if in a very limited way. However, some animals are much more varied and dramatic. While we provide other examples of animals that change color, we are going to look in depth at the following:

• Jackson's chameleon
• Yellow crab spider
• Mimic octopus
• Common cuttlefish
• Common sole
• Flamboyant cuttlefish
• European flounder
• Turtle beetle
• Carolina anole
• Arctic fox

The Jackson's chameleon (Trioceros jacksonii) is one of the animals that can change to the most colors. It can display between 10 and 15 different hues, depending on its specific needs. The species is native to the African countries of Kenya and Tanzania, where it lives in areas between 1,500 and 3,200 meters above sea level.

The original coloration of these chameleons is green, sometimes with additional yellow and blue patches. They also have a very characteristic tri-horned head.

Like other chameleons, this species can use color changes during interactions with other individuals as well as for camouflage. Its colors may shift with its condition and surroundings, so a change is not always simply an attempt to match the background.

This arachnid is one of the animals which uses color changes to camouflage and hide. The yellow crab spider (Misumena vatia) measures between 4 and 10 mm and lives in North America. The crab spider's body is somewhat flattened, and its legs are long and spread apart. This gives it a certain resemblance to a crab, hence its name. Its standard color varies between brown, white and light green.

However, the spider's habitat is often full of colorful flowers. The crab spider can change its color to bright yellow and/or white, allowing it to remain unseen by insects visiting the flower. The spider has the element of surprise and pounces on the insect.

By waiting on a flower rather than pursuing its prey, the spider can use the flower's color as part of its hiding place. This helps it get close to insects that come to feed.

The ability of the mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus)^[3] to camouflage itself is very impressive. It is a species which inhabits waters around the Australian and Asian coastlines, where it is possible to find it at a maximum depth of 37 m.

With the intention of hiding from predators, this octopus is able to adopt the colors of almost 20 different marine species. These species are varied and include jellyfish, snakes, fish and even crabs. Additionally, its body is able to mimic the shape of other animals such as manta rays. It can then approach prey which think it is a less dangerous fellow sea creature.

Its displays are not limited to color: changing its posture and the way it moves can make the imitation more convincing. This combination helps the octopus adapt its disguise to different situations in the water.

The common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is a mollusk that lives in the northeast of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. They live at around 200 m deep, measure a maximum of 49 cm and weigh up to 2 kilos.

The cuttlefish live in sandy and muddy areas where they hide from predators during the day. Like chameleons, their skin has chromatophore cells which allow them to change color and adopt various patterns. In sand and unicolored substrates, they retain an equally uniform tone. They can adopt specks, dots, stripes and colors when in front of heterogeneous environments.

These patterns can help the cuttlefish blend into a varied seabed, where a single, even color might make it easier to spot. Their ability to alter both shade and pattern makes them especially effective at matching their surroundings.

The common sole (Solea solea) is another fish capable of modifying the color of its body. It inhabits the waters of the Atlantic and Mediterranean areas, also residing at a maximum depth of 200 meters.

The sole has a flattened body that allows it to bury itself in the sand and hide from its predators. In addition, it slightly modifies its skin color, both to protect itself and to hunt the worms, mollusks and crustaceans that make up its diet.

Remaining close to the seabed helps the sole stay concealed while it rests or searches for food. Its color adjustment works alongside its body shape and habit of burying itself, rather than replacing these forms of camouflage.

The flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi) is distributed throughout the Pacific and Indian oceans. They live in sandy and swampy areas where their bodies can camouflage perfectly. This variety is one of the very few cephalopods which is poisonous, thanks to toxins present in its skin. While their usual base color is an inconspicuous brown, they change their body color to a bright red tone when they feel threatened. This color transformation alerts the predator to their toxicity.

The flamboyant cuttlefish is also able to use color changing to camouflage itself in its environment. In order to do this, its skin contains 75 chromatic components which allow up to 11 different color patterns.

Its bright warning display is a striking contrast to its more subdued appearance when it is blending into the seabed. The change shows how color can serve different purposes in the same animal, depending on the situation.

Another of the marine animals on our list of animals that change color is the European flounder (Platichthys flesus)^[4]. It is a type of fish which uses camouflage in different ways. The main one is to hide under the sand, a task made easy by its flattened body shape. It lives around 100 m deep in waters from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.

Other than hiding under the sand, the flounder uses another technique to hide from potential predators. It is also able to adapt its color to mimic that of the seabed. Unlike some of the color-changing animals here, its color change is not as visually impressive as others.

Blending with the seabed can make the fish harder to notice from above. Its ability to alter its appearance complements the protection it gets from lying flat and partly burying itself.

Another animal that changes color is the turtle beetle (Charidotella egregia). It is a type of leaf beetle whose wings reflect light with a striking metallic golden color. However, in stressful situations, fluids move from its body to its wings, which turn an intense red color.

This species feeds on leaves, flowers and roots. In addition, the turtle beetle is one of the most striking insects that exist.

The change in appearance is especially noticeable because its usual metallic sheen is so bright. Rather than matching a background, this color shift is an example of a change linked to the beetle's physical state.

The Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis)^[5] is a reptile native to the United States, but can currently be found in Mexico and several Central American islands. It inhabits forests, meadows and steppes, where it prefers to live in trees and on rocks.

The original color of this reptile is bright green. However, its skin adopts a dark brown tone when it feels threatened. This is the opposite of poisonous animals which use vibrant colors to deter attack. Like chameleons, it performs this action using chromatophores.

The anole's color can make it less conspicuous against its surroundings. As with other color-changing reptiles, the shift is one part of how it responds to the conditions around it.

Although we may not think of them as color-changing animals, there are mammals which are capable of changing color. The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is one such mammal species. They live in the Arctic areas of America, Asia and Europe.

The fur of this fox species is brown or gray during the warmer seasons. It then changes its coat to a brilliant white when winter approaches. This color change allows the fox to hide in the snowy landscape, something which helps it both hide from possible attack and gain an advantage when hunting its own prey.

When the snow melts, the darker coat helps the fox blend in with the exposed ground and vegetation. The seasonal change is gradual, so the animal's coat shifts as conditions in its habitat change.

In addition to those mentioned above, there are many animals that change color to hide or for other reasons. Here are some of them:

• White banded crab spider (Misumenoides formosipes)
• Big blue octopus (Octopus cyanea)
• Smith's dwarf chameleon (Bradypodion taeniabronchum)
• Lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus)
• Fischer's chameleon (Bradypodion fischeri)
• Slender horse (Hippocampus reidi)
• Ituri dwarf chameleon (Kinyongia adolfifriderici)
• Rock goby (Gobius paganellus)
• Opalescent inshore squid (Doryteuthis opalescens)
• Abyssal octopus (Graneledone boreopacifica)
• Australian giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama)
• Common clubhook squid (Onychoteuthis banksii)
• Central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps)

These examples show that color change occurs in a wide range of habitats, from forests and fields to the open ocean. The reason for the change varies by species, but it can help an animal conceal itself, respond to its surroundings or communicate with others.

If you want to read similar articles to 20+ Animals That Change Color, we recommend you visit our Facts about the animal kingdom category.