Like chameleons, frogs are capable of camouflaging themselves to protect against predators. Their skin color naturally matches their surroundings, making them invisible or unnoticeable when danger lurks.

One species of frog native to Southeast Asia, the Wallace's flying frogs, are bright red with tiny white dots when juvenile. The adult ones are plain red and green.

University of Vienna researcher Susanne Stueckler did an experiment in Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo to determine if the frog's colors could hide it from predators.

Her team found that predators quickly attacked the older frogs with green and red skin, while the young with red and white spots were ignored.

The unusual color pattern of juvenile flying frogs likely functions to masquerade them as animal droppings so predators misidentify them as inedible objects, according to the researchers.

"To our knowledge, this is the first experimental exploration of a vertebrate masquerading as animal droppings," they said.

Meanwhile, a thief made like a chameleon to rob a shopping mall in Warsaw, Poland.

The 22-year-old's modus operandi seemed effective, as no one noticed he was still inside when the mall closed. When the place was empty, he headed for a bar, where he got some food and then grabbed items from a clothing store.

The thief struck again on Thursday.

After entering a clothing store, the man "put on a new outfit, then stood still in the window like a mannequin to fool security guards and surveillance cameras," said Robert Szumiata, a spokesperson for the Warsaw police.

After closing time, the man got down and managed to swipe some jewelry from a shop before mall guards apprehended him.

A security camera was apparently trained on the suspect as he stood motionless in the window, and as soon as he moved, the guards were alerted, according to the Daily Mail.

Szumiata said the mannequin-chameleon was charged with burglary and theft.

with AFP