chameleons

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“
For example, peppered moths, sargassum fish, horned lizards, chameleons, and octopi all use camouflage as a way to escape predators (2, 3).

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Definitions (14)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun Any of various tropical Old World lizards of the family Chamaeleonidae, characterized by their ability to change color.
  2. noun See anole.
  3. noun A changeable or inconstant person: "In his testimony, the nominee came off as . . . a chameleon of legal philosophy” (Joseph A. Califano, Jr.)
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Examples (50)

  • On Earth, chameleons, flounders, and octopi use a variation on this technique. —  F ;SF; - vol 093 issue 02 - August 1997
  • Some chameleons are able to see both ahead of them and behind them at the same time. —  F ;SF; - vol 103 issue 04-05 - October-November 2002
  • Like chameleons, the dark green hulls blended into the foliage, and the crews donned their rain gear as the tempo of the storm increased. —  Brown Waters, Black Berets
  • It was like dealing with chameleons or something Well, yeah, I guess so, Heinrich. —  Fantasy and Science Fiction - [Vol 111] - Issue 06 - December 2006
  • Some exobiologists have speculated that the species has been able to project into the minds of other races a lack of interest; it is a kind of protective camouflage such as chameleons and stick insects possess. —  F ;SF - vol 105 issue 04-05 - October-November 2003
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