The chameleon ’ s ability to change colour may seem magical , but scientists have finally solved the riddle of how the reptile can blend into the background so effectively . Swiss researchers revealed that chameleons use futuristic nanotechnology more advanced than anything humans possess to carry out their extraordinary colour changes . The reptiles are capable of rearranging crystals inside specialised skin cells to switch hues in order to attract a potential mate or scare off a rival . Scroll down for video . Swiss researchers have revealed that chameleons appear to be capable of rearranging crystals inside specialised skin cells to switch hues in order to attract a potential mate or scare off a rival . A stock image of a colourful panther chameleon is shown . The process involves the active tuning of a lattice of microscopic crystals in skin cells called iridophores . Not only do the crystals allow the lizard to shift rapidly from efficient camouflage to spectacular mating displays , they also protect it from overheating . It was previously thought that coloured pigments were gathered and dispersed inside different cells , allowing the animal to change hues . Like some other reptiles , chameleons display a wide range of colours produced not by pigments but ‘ optical interference ’ between different wavelengths of reflected light from tiny crystals , the researchers claim . The crystals are arranged in layers within the iridophores . In studies of the panther chameleon , which comes from Madagascar , scientists found that the creature actively controls the way its iridophore crystals generate colour . The reptiles appear to be capable of rearranging crystals inside specialised skin cells to switch hues in order to attract a potential mate or scare off a rival . The process involves the active tuning of a lattice of microscopic crystals in skin cells called iridophores . Not only do the crystals allow the lizard to shift rapidly from efficient camouflage and spectacular mating displays , but they also protect it from overheating . It was previously thought that coloured pigments were gathered and dispersed inside different cells . It can turn from a camouflaged green to a bright yellow to attract a potential mate , for example . Physicist Jeremie Teyssier , from the University of Geneva in Switzerland , said : ‘ We discovered that the animal changes its colours via the active tuning of a lattice of nanocrystals . ‘ When the chameleon is calm , the latter are organised into a dense network and reflect the blue wavelengths . ‘ In contrast , when excited , it loosens its lattice of nanocrystals , which allows the reflection of other colours , such as yellows or reds . '' The scientists also uncovered a second deeper layer of iridophores containing larger and less ordered crystals which reflect infrared light , which they reported in the study , published in the journal Nature Communications . By reflecting back the sun 's heat energy , the cells prevent the chameleon getting too hot in the tropical sun . The scientists made their discovery by watching video footage of chameleons changing colour from blue to green then into yellow and orange – a pattern that couldn ’ t be explained by pigments in the animal ’ s skin . The process involves the active tuning of a lattice of microscopic crystals in skin cells called iridophores . In studies of the panther chameleon ( stock image ) , which comes from Madagascar , scientists found that the creature actively controls the way its iridophore crystals generate colour . They modelled what changes might be produced by shifting the spacing of the crystals and found they could simulate and explain the colour changes . Further bolstering the idea that crystals in skin cells are responsible for the animal ’ s transformation , they compared a sample of ‘ relaxed ’ chameleon skin with another when the animal was excited and observed a change in the crystal pattern . Professor Michel Milinkovitch , of the university , told the BBC : ‘ Chameleons invented something completely new in evolution . ‘ They split the iridophores into two layers , one that is specialised for colour change ... and one to reduce the amount of energy absorbed by the animal . ‘ That 's an amazing toolkit that allows them to choose between being hidden or displaying very spectacular colours for communication - and on top of that they have this ability to control their temperature because of the deep iridophores . ’
University of Geneva researchers studied panther chameleons . They found the reptiles are capable of rearranging crystals inside specialised skin cells called iridophores to change colour . Crystals allow the lizard to shift rapidly from efficient camouflage to spectacular mating displays and also protect it from overheating .