Can 変身 be used instead of 変化 in this case?


From [this post](https://hinative.com/ja/questions/1848228), I gather that the
difference between 変身 and 変化 is a matter of the transformation’s distinctness.
However, I came across 変化 being used in the following sentence:

> カメレオンは、環境が変わったとき、色の **変化** が見られる。

It seems to me that a chameleon’s color-change is distinct enough to warrant
the use of 変身. Then, could 変身 also be used in this case or does only 変化 make
sense?




> difference between 変身 and 変化 is a matter of the transformation’s
> distinctness.

No, this is highly misguided. Perhaps the native speaker in that post wanted
to say 変身 is somehow more "drastic", but he failed to explain the most
important aspect of 変身 well.

変身 is used only when a human(oid) or an animal transforms to a drastically
different form. It's a word used mainly in fiction (Spider-Man, Power Rangers,
Super Saiyans, zombies, etc), but it's sometimes used in the field of makeup,
fashion and cosplay, too. Metamorphosis (of insects) is also sometimes
referred to as 変身 by laypeople (the academic term is 変態). 変身 sounds catchy,
especially to kids. So you can find some articles that say chameleons can do
変身, but this may not be a standard usage of 変身.

変化 is "change" in general, and "change in color" is 色の変化. We never say 色の変身 no
matter how distinctive or drastic it is. This is simply because 色 itself is
not a human nor an animal.

