Kamouflage
Taller de dibujo II
Universidad Europea
Madrid
Spring 2023
June
Made by
Jonna Stigsdotter
Some info about the chameleon
Characteristics
Over time scientists have found out that chameleons have hundreds of
crystals in their skin, at least a hundred thousands in each cell. These tiny
crystals reflect different wavelengths of light creating different colors. So
by changing the distance of the Crystals, chameleons can reflect almost
any color possible.
The eyes of a chameleon can be adjusted separately. That will say they can
look in two directions at the same time. With each eye having a rotational
capacity of 180 degrees. Giving them the possibility to get a 360 degree
scope of their surroundings
Color
Chameleons are ecothermal animals which means they can’t control their own body heat. So having chameleons in captivity gives you the responsibility of being able to control their habitat due to their requirements. The body temperature of the chameleons can be seen by looking at their colors. A cold chameleon carries darker shades of colors so they can attract more sunlight. While when they are warm it changes to a lighter shade. The fact that chameleons only change color as a survival instinct isn't completely correct. As mentioned, temperature is one of them as well as their mood and communication. So through the color they communicate with the surroundings
Food
Chameleons are most insect eating animals. Which means that the main part of their diet consists of invertebrate animals with six legs. For example grasshoppers, nocturnal butterflies, bugs and crickets. The most striking feature of these reptiles is their retractable tongue that they project over long distances to catch their prey in only 0,07 seconds. Cockroaches are the main diet of chameleons in captivity, as well as crickets and worms. Chameleons just eat living insects due to them trusting their prey’s movements to hunt.
Habitat inspiration
At first, we wanted to create a design for a chameleon as a household pet. However,
after further research, we discovered chameleons are very temperament animals,
sensitive to their space, surroundings and constant human interactions.
We wanted to create a natural habitat for the chameleon. We took inspiration from
the pictures to the right. The inter action between the greenery and house design
intertwined so that nothing was disturbed. The idea of a Home within a home, in this
case, the chameleon habitat, has its own home within the owner’s home, still allowing for interaction between the humans and the user, the chameleon, yet keeping
that to a minimal level
A cylindrical shape allows less of a constraint than a box shape. The circular design allows more natural light to be shed in the habitat, which is now
our aim. The open roof enables natural light to come out of the day. The
surface area for this design was more significant than the ideas under the
stairs; this allowed the chameleon to have a larger living space. Chameleons
require things to climb on and around. Branches and vines can create a
jungle-like atmosphere, so the more space we have, the better
Concept
With our cylindrical design, the irrigation and light systems are already in place; in our case, we want to have dripping irrigation around the habitat; this is because chameleons do not simply drink from a body of water; they need a “rain-type” of the environment when it comes to their water supply as that is how they drink. With that in mind, the plumbing systems placed on the roof work to our advantage. We decided to make the roof surface slightly more minor yet still allow light to go in because the water and light systems need to create a more natural atmosphere. For example, the water supply can’t drain onto the sides of the habitat but is more in the centre. As for the lighting systems, chameleons require UVB lighting to obtain Vitamin D3, which aids in calcium absorption. There will be placements of warm yellow lights equivalent to a 5.0 UVB light bulb.
