A frog with six legs is being treated like a prince after emerging in a village in northern Thailand.

The pampered amphibian appeared on the doorstep of resident Somboon Tuekrua, 50, in Phayao province last December.

The male frog measured three inches long and had a pair of legs protruding near the underside of its neck.

Somboon showed it to villagers who were amazed by the extra set of limbs. He adopted the bizarre creature and even gave it its own pool to float around in.

He said: ‘It showed up at my house when it was only just a baby about a year back. When I found it had six legs, I adopted it.

'I put it in a pool in my house and watched it grow. It has a total of six legs and 24 webbed toes.

'This frog can even change its skin into different colours. Sometimes it's green and sometimes it's yellow.

'The frog also stays calm when I carry it. I believe it brought good luck into my house.

'We treat him well, better than any other pets, because he is special and people come here to see him.'

Extra limbs in frogs have been linked to a parasitic flatworm called Ribeiroia ondatrae which latch onto the creatures when they are still tadpoles.

The flatworms then cause the improper formation of limbs in their hosts, rendering the frogs impaired and vulnerable to birds - the parasite's final vessel.

The flatworms proliferate by being spread around through the birds' feces.