I spy with my little chameleon eye… everything!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
For centuries, chameleons have stumped us. How do they pull off a full three-sixty-degree peek?
Enter Emily Collins and team from Sam Houston State University.
They dissected and X-rayed the brains of three chameleon species. Then, they stitched the scans together into 3-D brain models.
Then, they compared seventeen other reptiles to chameleons.
And? It’s all in the optic nerve! Instead of short and straight, theirs is long and SUPER coiled! This gives their eyes the slack for twirling and peeking in ANY direction.
Wow! Chameleons would make GREAT boxers… you just can’t catch them by surprise!
Reference: Collins, E., Bauer, A.M., Diaz, R.E. et al. A new twist in the evolution of chameleons uncovers an extremely specialized optic nerve morphology. Sci Rep 15, 38270 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-20357-3