Is it a leaf? Is it tree bark? No, it’s the Satanic leaf-tailed gecko. Cleverly disguised as a rotting leaf, Madagascar’s camouflage king has red eyes, pointy horns and a taste for night hunting: it’s nature’s most devilish deceiver. The twisted body and veiny skin echo the detail of a dry leaf, which ensures the gecko blends in with its forest home. The mottled tail appears to have sections missing, as though it has withered over time. This mini-monster epitomises survival of the fittest, having adapted gradually to become today’s extraordinary leaf impersonator. (Photo by Thomas Marent/ARDEA)

Pictures from Tasmania’s central plateau, shot by wilderness photographer Dan Broun, show the extraordinary damage wrought by more than a week of bushfires following lightning strikes in Australia’s southernmost state on January 13. 2016. The world heritage area was home to a range of unique alpine flora including pencil pines, king billy pines and cushion plants, some more than 1,000 years old. Now more than 10,000ha of land has been incinerated, and ecologist say that, unlike eucalyptus trees, the ancient flora will not recover. (Photo by Dan Broun)

A sculpture of Don Quixote shows him wearing the basin he mistook for the enchanted helmet of the fictional Moorish king Mambrino in Alcazar de San Juan, Spain, April 5, 2016. The arid central Spanish region of La Mancha is the setting for “Don Quixote”, the seventeenth-century novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Four hundred years after his death, references to the characters of Don Quixote, his loyal squire Sancho Panza and his beautiful lady Dulcinea abound in the surrounding villages from sweet treats to theatre productions involving livestock. Cervantes did not give away the name of the birthplace of Don Quixote, a middle-aged gentleman who becomes obsessed with chivalrous ideals. But many identify the village of Argamasilla de Alba as his hometown. The anniversary of Cervantes’ death is marked on the 23 April. (Photo by Susana Vera/Reuters)

Fishermen jump into a small river to catch trout as they celebrate Fischertag (Fisherman's Day) in downtown Memmingen, southern Germany, July 25, 2015. The annual Fisherman's Day (Fischertag) tradition goes back to the year of 1465 where every fisherman who were born in Memmingen tries to catch trout from the river. The participant who catches the biggest trout will be named the “Fisher King” for one year. (Photo by Michaela Rehle/Reuters)

A mahout watches the Thai animation movie Kan Kluay with his elephant in Ayuthaya province, about 80km (49 miles) north of Bangkok June 5, 2006. The movie tells the story of a young Thai wild elephant who, while looking for his father, becomes the war elephant of the Thai King fighting against Burma and restored Thailand's ancient Ayuthaya empire that existed about 400 years ago. (Photo by Sukree Sukplang/Reuters)

Journalists (L) walk along the new Caminito del Rey (The King's Little Pathway) in El Chorro-Alora, near Malaga, southern Spain March 15, 2015. Dubbed by many media outlets as the world's scariest pathway, the three-kilometre long pathway, which was built at about 100 metres (330 ft) above the gorge of Los Gaitanes between the years of 1901 and 1905, was closed in 2001 after five people died. A new walkway has then been built over the old walkway and will open to the public on March 28, 2015. (Photo by Jon Nazca/Reuters)

Serena Williams awaits a return with partner Venus Williams (not pictured) of the United States against Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova of Czech Republic during the Women’s Doubles First Round match on Day Four of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 01, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

In this handout photo released by Kooperativ Telegram Channel, flames and smoke rise from the scene after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, October 17, 2022. The Russian military says one of its warplanes has crashed near an apartment building in Yeysk, a port city on the Sea of Azov, after experiencing engine failure on takeoff. The crash ignited a huge fire, killing at least four people, leaving six missing and injuring 21 others, eight of whom were in grave condition. One of the pilots, right, descends on a parachute. (Photo by Kooperativ Telegram Channel via AP Photo)