How Do Chameleons Change Colors? Exploring Creature Camouflage
Nat Theo Nature Lessons Rooted in the Bible
Eryn Lynum
4.8 • 618 Ratings
🗓️ 19 September 2023
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Wait... chameleons have crystals in their skin?! And there is an octopus with a costume box?? Today we're exploring creature camouflage and learning about two animals God created with very special camouflaging strategies. We're looking at:
- What are cells in creatures’ bodies?
- How does a chameleon change colors?
- How does a mimic octopus change shapes?
- Why don’t we need to blend in or change who we are?
Episode Links:
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Join the Nat Theo Club & Get Full Episode Activity Guides!
Download the free Camouflage Creature Coloring Sheet
Video: Chameleon Changing Colors
Video: Looking at skin cells in a microscope
Video: Mimic Octopus Impersonating Other Creatures
Get Eryn's new book, Rooted in Wonder: Nurturing Your Family's Faith Through God's Creation
Scriptures in Today's Episode:
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10
“But to all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
“But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done.” 1 John 1:9
“I praise you (God) because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well.” Psalm 139:14
Terms Learned in Today's Episode:
Cell: Tiny building blocks all living things are made out of
Chromatophore: Special cells that produce or change pigment (color)
Iridophore: Special cell (building blocks) in a chameleon’s skin (a type of chromatophore)
Nanocrystals: Tiny crystalline particles inside the chameleon’s special skin cells that can reflect different colors
Mimic: imitate, or pretend to be someone or something else
Discover more nature lessons rooted in the Bible at Erynlynum.com
Mentioned in this episode:
Magnify: A Wild & Wonderful Summer Adventure by Nat Theo
Join us for summer Bible & nature study! https://thenaturaltheologyproject.com/magnify
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Have you downloaded the free coloring sheet for this lesson? |
| 0:04.0 | Click the link in our show notes to print and color along as you listen. |
| 0:08.1 | And join the Nat Theo Club at the link in our show notes to receive a full lesson and activity guide and a bonus video of content every single week. |
| 0:17.0 | So you can dive deeper into every lesson. |
| 0:20.0 | Explore God's wild and wonderful world in the Nat Theo Club at Aaron Linum.com |
| 0:25.2 | slash club or at the link in our show notes. |
| 0:31.8 | Welcome to the Nat Theo podcast, where we explore nature, the Bible, and what both of them show us about |
| 0:42.4 | our creator, God, who made this wild and wonderful world. I'm your host, Aaron Linum. I'm a certified |
| 0:52.7 | master naturalist, Bible teacher, and author. And I am so |
| 0:57.8 | excited to explore God's word and his created world with you. Have you ever wished that you could |
| 1:07.7 | blend into your surroundings? Maybe you've been in an embarrassing situation |
| 1:13.7 | and you wish you could just sort of become invisible for a little while. Or maybe you wish you could |
| 1:21.2 | be the very best hide-and-seek player by becoming invisible in your hiding spot. Today, we are exploring creatures that |
| 1:30.8 | can do exactly that. We are going to look at creature camouflage. We'll learn about two |
| 1:38.9 | different creatures that disguise themselves in two difference and creative ways. |
| 1:45.4 | Here's our trail map for today. |
| 1:47.7 | We are going to begin with the basics and learn what are cells in creatures' bodies. |
| 1:55.9 | We are going to look at how does a chameleon change its color? |
| 2:03.6 | We're going to look at how does a mimic octopus change its shape and behavior. And finally, we are going to learn why we don't need to blend in |
| 2:10.8 | or change who we are. Be sure to download and print the free coloring sheet that goes along with |
| 2:17.0 | today's episode. You can get |
| 2:18.9 | that in the link in today's show notes or at Aaronlinum.com slash Nat Theo 14. And if you want a full |
... |
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