Question

discuss how chameleons or Lizards more generally detect light. What cells do they have in their retina, are they capable of detecting color vision or just black and white, talk about the structure of the eye as well

Answer 1

Chameleons are lizards that are a part of family Chameleonidae.In addition to the ability to change color, chameleons have many other characteristics that make them special, including parrot-like feet, eyes that can look in two different directions at once and long tongues and tails.Many believe that Chameleons change colour to disguise themselves and escape from predators. They are fast and run up 21 miles per hour and can esacpe from predators.Thus Camouflage is only a secondary reason why they change colour.

Since chameleons are active during the daytime, their retinas include cone cells. Different types of cone cell respond differently to light of different colors, so an animal with cone cells in its retina can see colors.

Chameleons can see color and, in fact, they can see better than human.

Most animals see fewer colors than humans can. But some including chameleons can see the same colors we do plus ultraviolet light, which we cannot see. the special protein in the eyes are called Opsins. The humans have three opsins ,so they can see three colours, creatures which has two Opsins can only see two colours. Animals with more than three opsins (such insects and reptiles) can see ultraviolet, or UV, light.They can see a broader range of colors than we can. They can distinguish colors better there's often greater contrast.Seeing ultraviolet light helps creatures with a big interest in flowers, such as nectar-seeking bees or hummingbirds or bug-eating birds or reptiles. Flowers reflect a lot of ultraviolet light.

Eye Structure of Chameleons : The most unique characteristic of the eyes of a chameleon is a negative lens (concave/ diverging lens) instead of a positive lens (convex/ converging lens). Adding to this is their monocular vision. This allows them to have extraordinarily good vision. They can even see small insects that are 5-10 meters away. Their shape is unique among animals, with no upper or lower eyelid. Instead, they have one big eyelid per eye that's shaped like a cone. It covers the eye nearly completely, leaving just enough opening to expose the pupil. Chameleons' eyelids are scaly, like their skin. And the eyes can move in different directions at once.