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)

An Afghan girl makes a pile of unbaked bricks near the road passing through the Shamali Plains, about 10 kilometers (6 miles), west of Bagram, Afghanistan, Wednesay April 9, 2003. Children assist parents in their job to supplement family income. (Photo by Gurinder Osan/AP Photo)

Muslim pilgrims pray around the holy Kaaba at the Grand Mosque, during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mecca September 30, 2014. (Photo by Muhammad Hamed/Reuters)

Carnival revelers perform during the Academicos do Baixo Augustaa carnival “bloco” parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, February 24, 2019. (Photo by Andre Penner/AP Photo)

A young supporter of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dressed like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives with his mother during a public meeting addressed by Modiin Hyderabad, India, Sunday, July 3, 2022. (Photo by Mahesh Kumar A./AP Photo)

American singer Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, known professionally as Halsey wears eye-catching makeup to celebrate AF 94 in the last decade of July 2022. (Photo by iamhalsey/Instagram)

English-Albanian singer and songwriter Dua Lipa in the last decade of June 2023 wears a Miu Miu bra as a shirt under a jacket and skirt set. (Photo by dualipa/Instagram)

A camel wearing a hat amid a heatwave, looks on, in front of the Great Pyramids of Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt on July 19, 2023. (Photo by Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)