A Chameleon oil pattern is a pattern of oil on a bowling lane. It is used by the Professional Bowlers Association in tournament play among others.
A typical Chameleon pattern is 43 feet long. It forces players to play in a specific zone on the lane because of the way the oil is layered in "strips". The lane conditions dictate where the bowler should play. This is considered a "retro" approach to pattern designing.
Use of a Chameleon pattern results in a large range of scores (low to high), as does the bowlers' approach to the pattern. No one bowling style is most effective on this type of lane, because there can be multiple starting points that dictate how much the ball will spin, and thus how much curvature its path will have.
This oil pattern is named after the chameleon because like a chameleon, which can change its color repeatedly, so too must a bowler be able to change his style of play.