For the 'creature' poised to pounce is not a colourful species of lizard but something altogether more human.

Featuring two carefully painted female models, it is a clever piece of sculpture designed to create an amazing illusion.

It is the work of Italian artist Johannes Stoetter. 

The 37-year-old has previously transformed his models into frogs and parrots but this may be his most intricate and impressive piece to date.

Stoetter daubed water-based body paint on the naked models to create the multicoloured effect, then intertwined them to form the shape of a chameleon. 

To complete the deception, the models rested on a bench painted to match their skin and held the green branch in the air beneath them.

Stoetter can take weeks to plan one of his pieces and hours to paint it. 

Speaking about The Chameleon, he said: 'I worked about four days to design the motif bigger and paint it with colours.

'The body painting took me about six hours with the help of an assistant. 

'I covered the hair with natural clay to make the heads look bald.

'There are different difficulties on different levels as in every work, but I think that my passion and love to my work is so big, that I figure out a way to deal with difficulties.

'My main inspirations are nature, my personal life-philosophy, every-day-life and people themselves.

However, the finished result existed only briefly before the models were able to get up and wash the paint off – with just a video and some photographs to record it.

The artist added:   'I think that body painting is a good way to learn to let something go, to separate from something. That happens again and again in life and it is good to be able to handle with it.

'Also the fast end of the artwork makes us perceive it in a much more intensive way.'

But there is one way in which the chameleon can still claim to be the unchallenged master of disguise. 

Unlike the real thing, Stoetter's models can't change their colour – unless he gets his paintbrush out. 

(dailymail.co.uk)