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)

The elephant cow Omysha dives under water in its enclosure at the Zoo in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, February 3, 2021. (Photo by Alexandra Wey/Keystone via AP Photo)

A man looks at a figure outside a store as he walks along a street in Beijing on March 2, 2021. (Photo by Wang Zhao/AFP Photo)

The three pals dressed to the nines enjoyed a boozy night out in Leeds, United Kingdom on August 27, 2021. Boozed-up Brits flocked to bars across the country to enjoy the start of the three-day break. (Photo by Nb press ltd)

An Egyptian horse owner cares for one of his animals at stables in Giza near the capital on May 26, 2024. (Photo by Khaled Desouki/AFP Photo)

The Virgin of El Rocio is carried by pilgrims during a procession around the shrine of El Rocio in Almonte, southern Spain, May 25, 2015. Every spring hundreds of thousands of devotees converge at a shrine to pay homage to the Virgin del Rocio during an annual pilgrimage which combines religious fervour and festive colour. (Photo by Marcelo del Pozo/Reuters)

A tattoo of Captain America drawn by artist Sean Karon on the leg of client Ron Raucci at the Hampton Roads Tattoo Festival in Virginia, on March 2, 2012. The tattoo was completed from start to finish in one five-and-a-half hour session and won the prestigious “tattoo of the day” contest. (Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters)

A musher races with his dogs during a sled dog European Championship in Venek November 22, 2014. (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Reuters)