Random Animals That Can Change Their Color (20 items)

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  (#1) Octopus

  • Octopoda

  Several species of octopuses can change color to camouflage themselves, but the best camouflager of them all is definitely the mimic octopus. Not only does it change its color by expanding and contracting pigment cells in its skin, it changes the shape of its body to mimic other animals.
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  (#2) Squid

  • Teuthida

  Many species of squid also change color for camouflage, and they do so the same way an octopus does, by expanding or contracting their pigment cells.
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  (#3) Cuttlefish

  • Sepiida

  The cuttlefish is closely related to octopus and squid, and it has the same color-changing ability. What's remarkable about the cuttlefish is that it can accurately change to match its background in complete darkness.
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  (#4) Seahorse

  • Hippocampus

  The seahorse changes color the same way octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish do. It changes color either for camouflage or to express emotions during courtship.
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  (#5) Peacock flounder

  • Bothus mancus

  The peacock flounder changes colors to match its surroundings, in order to hide from predators and catch its prey. The flounder is able to release different pigments in certain skin cells, while repressing pigments in other cells, creating a pattern which resembles whatever surface it rests on.
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  (#6) Sleek Unicornfish

  The sleek unicornfish changes from dark blue to light blue when it is cleaned by smaller fish who feed on parasites. Scientists think the color change helps the smaller fish more easily see the parasites on the unicorn fish's scales. Some unicornfish species also change during mating behaviors.
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  (#7) Chameleon

  • Chamaeleonidae

  We all know chameleons are great color-changers, but their color-changing abilities are actually not used for camouflage, as many people think. Chameleons change color to express their moods - if they're feeling territorial and aggressive, or if they want to mate. To change color, they use the same types of cells that octopuses and cuttlefish use.
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  (#8) Tree frog

  • Hylidae

  Tree frogs can change color the same way that chameleons do. Sometimes the color changes are to camouflage themselves, and sometimes they are to adjust to a change in temperature. If the frogs need to absorb more heat, they turn a darker color.
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  (#9) Anole Lizards

  Anoles are little lizards which are commonly confused with chameleons. They can change color suddenly and rapidly, and they do so the same way as chameleons - with chromatophores. Scientists aren't sure exactly why anoles change color, they only know that it isn't for camouflage, and it isn't for temperature regulation.
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  (#10) Golden tortoise beetle

  • Charidotella sexpunctata

  The golden tortoise beetle is usually golden, as you may have guessed from the name. But when the beetle is stressed, it changes to red. The shiny, golden color results from liquid that fills very small channels in the beetle's exoskeleton. When the beetle becomes stressed, it dries up the liquid and reveals a red color beneath.
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  (#11) Crab spider

  • Thomisidae

  Female whitebanded crab spiders can change their color to match their background. They use this ability to blend into a flower, so that they can capture an unsuspecting pollinator as a meal. The color changes occur slowly (3 to 9 days) and require a lot of energy, so the spiders will tend to choose finding another yellow flower rather than changing color again.
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  (#12) Stick Bug

  Stick bugs are probably the most well-camouflaged insects there are. Not only are they the shape of a plant, they can also change color from brown to green, to match the color of the plant they are hiding on.
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  (#13) Willow Ptarmigan

  • Lagopus lagopus

  The willow ptarmigan cannot change colors rapidly like the other animals on this list. It undergoes a gradual color change from brown to white when the seasons change. The bird will shed its brown feathers and replace them with white ones, so it can blend into the snow.
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  (#14) Arctic fox

  • Vulpes lagopus

  The arctic fox is another animal that changes with the seasons. We typically think of the arctic fox as being white, but when spring comes and the snow melts, the fox sheds its white fur and grows brown fur. 
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  (#15) Arctic Hare

  • Lepus arcticus

  Like the arctic fox, the arctic hare goes from brown or gray in the summer to white in the winter. Scientists think the length of the daylight is what signals the color change. When the days get shorter, the hare instinctually starts changing color.
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  (#16) Weasel

  • Mustela

  Weasels that live in northern regions also transition from brown fur to white fur in the winter. Weasels that live in warm climates do not change, and weasels that live in temperate areas partially change.
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  (#17) Peary Caribou

  The Peary caribou is the only subspecies of caribou that experiences a color change. The change their coats the same way the Arctic fox and Arctic hares change.
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  (#18) Lemming

  Collared lemmings experience a color change in the winter, from brown to white. It's unclear why they need to undergo that change in order to camouflage, since they spend most of their time burrowing under the snow.
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  (#19) Siberian Hamster

  The Siberian hamster is the last animal on our list that changes color in the winter. These hamsters can be kept as pets, and even when they are not kept in their typical climate, they will still change color in winter if they are regularly exposed to natural light. This supports the theory that color change is triggered by reduced daylight.
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  (#20) Flamingo

  • Phoenicopterus

  Flamingo coloring ranges from very pale pink to bright pink. Scientists recently discovered that flamingos dab carotenoid oil, which they produce in glands near their tails, on their feathers to turn pinker. Essentially, they use the oil like makeup, since the purpose of their enhanced pink color is to attract a mate.

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