Sydney, March 20 (IANS): A small fish that lives in the Australian Great Barrier Reef preys on smaller fish by changing colour and pretending to be an adult of their own species, according to a study released on Friday.

The dusky dottyback (Pseudochromis fuscus) is a small predatory fish that is found throughout the Indo-Pacific and has the ability to change colour.

Its ability to vary in colouration has baffled scientists until an international research team led by evolutionary biologists Fabio Cortesi and Walter Salzburger from the University of Basel developed a theory, Xinhua news agency reported.

The zoologists are now able to show that dottybacks can quickly change their colour in order to mimic other fish species and chase their prey.

The dusky dottyback fish colour changing ability also helps protect it from its own predators.

"This strategy is very similar to the classic example of the wolf in sheep's clothing. However, while the wolf may be found out eventually, dottybacks are able to change again," Cortesi said in the journal Science.