Chameleons’ layered emotions

Chameleons are cold-blooded reptiles that come in a variety of colours. The skin has underneath it layers of different coloured cells controlled by nerves and hormones. When it is threatened, a male panther chameleon becomes angry, it changes colour from placid green to angry orange in seconds, and finally to bright red. When both layers of coloured cells contract, white cells are revealed and the skin turns pale.

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How long is a chameleon’s tongue?

A chameleon is a kind of lizard that eats small insects. It uses its unique tongue to catch its prey. The tongue is coiled inside its mouth. During catching its prey, the chameleon projects its tongue out with a force which the scientists call the ballistic mechanism to capture the prey. The tongue can project up to double the size of the chameleon’s body. Sometimes the tongue may extend up to 600 per cent of its original resting size.

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