Even Very Brightly Coloured Chameleons Blend With Their Natural Environment Surprisingly Well

Chameleons are true masters of camouflage, using their unusual bodies, limbs, heads, and tails—often adorned with enlarged scales, horns, and various skin duplications or protuberances—to seamlessly merge with their surroundings, a classic example of Bayesian mimicry. 

However, their coloration and patterns are primarily not for camouflage but rather serve as conspicuous signals for intraspecific communication, particularly in male competition and female mate recognition.

Beyond these social functions, chameleons also employ color changes for thermal regulation. 

Despite this, their patterns and coloration do contribute to camouflage, but largely at a phylogenetic rather than ontogenetic level. Over generations, chameleons have evolved to resemble the predominant colors and patterns of their habitats, allowing them to blend naturally with their environment.

When photographed against a black background, their bright and striking patterns can appear excessively vivid, seemingly exposing them to predators. However, context is crucial—when viewed in their natural surroundings, many chameleons become almost invisible. A notable example is Kinyongia vosseleri, a species from the East Usambara Mountains in Tanzania. When photographed against a neutral dark background, it appears remarkably vibrant, yet within its ecosystem, it blends perfectly into the dense foliage, demonstrating its ecological adaptation to life several meters above the ground on the terminal branches of tall trees.