Newsgroups: sci.bio
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From: anderson@cshl.org (John Anderson)
Subject: Re: question on colour change in frogs
Message-ID: <anderson.675093533@xray1.cshl.org>
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Organization: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
References: <lucyc.675061163@suite.sw.oz.au>
Date: 24 May 91 13:58:53 GMT

lucyc@suite.sw.oz.au (Lucy Chubb) writes:

>I have a frog (common Australian green tree frog - littoria
>coerelia (sp?)) and have observed it changing colour on a
>number of occasions. The colour changing could be a protective
>adaptation to help the frog blend into the background (although
>the colour changes seem to have nothing at all to do with the
>colour of the frogs surroundings). Does anyone know what sort
>of situations cause this type of frog (or other types of frog)
>to change colour when it is not threatened by a predator?

>		Lucy Chubb.

>Softway Pty Ltd, P.O. Box 305, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012, AUSTRALIA
>Phone: +61 2 698 2322;       Fax: +61 2 699 9174;     Telex: AA27987
>Email: lucyc@softway.oz.au

How do frogs (and chameleons, octopuses, anole lizards, etc) "know" 
what color to change to to blend into the background?

-- 
John Anderson
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
anderson@cshl.org
