 For example, the Carolina (or green) anole can change its color from a bright, leafy green to a dull brown color, while the brown anole can only change its shade, ranging from pale gray-brown to very dark brown.Even the distinct green-to-brown change in the Carolina anole can happen in only a few minutes.The colors are the result of their skin pigment cells, the chromatophores, of which they have three main types, but the change occurs only in the melanophores.