This shot, which was announced the winner by the on December 2, 2022 came top in the People and Nature category of the British Ecological Society’s Capturing Ecology photography competition. (Photo by British Ecological Society)

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano spews vulcanic materials during an eruption as seen from Pululera village in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, on April 27, 2025. (Photo by The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG)/Handout via Reuters)

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers and capture team cool down a sedated elephant at Mwea National Park, east of the capital Nairobi, Kenya Monday, October 14, 2024. (Photo by Brian Inganga/AP Photo)

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)

People look at a man, who residents said was killed by al Qaeda militants, hanging on a bridge in Yemen's southeastern city of Mukalla June 17, 2015. Al Qaeda militants in Yemen killed two alleged Saudi spies, residents said, accusing them of planting tracking devices which enabled the assassination of the group's leader in a suspected U.S. drone strike. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Swimmers in fancy dress take part in a Christmas Day dip at Exmouth, Devon, England, Saturday, December 25, 2021. (Photo by Ben Birchall/PA Wire via AP Photo)

A Russian Su-35S combat aircraft and a Tu-95ms strategic bomber fly in formation above a church during a rehearsal for the flypast, which is part of a military parade marking the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Moscow, Russia on May 4, 2022. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

A reveller (R), dressed as “Diablos de Luzon” (Luzon Devils), stands next to a person dressed as a “Mascaritas” during carnival celebrations in the village of Luzon, Spain, February 6, 2016. The “Diablos” cover themselves in a mixture of soot and oil and adorn their heads with black-stained bull horns as they parade throughout the village with cowbells clanging around their waists to expel the evil spirits. (Photo by Sergio Perez/Reuters)