The Namaqua chameleon (Chamaeleo namaquensis) is really good at physics, even though he probably doesn’t realise it.

During the morning, when the Namib Desert in which it lives is colder, the chameleon turns its skin black so that it absorbs sunlight more efficiently and heats up quickly.

They can even split their colouring along their spines, white on one side and black on the other; absorbing heat on the black side whilst not radiating it on the white side.

The clip is taken from the BBC David Attenborough series Life.