People are reflected in mirrors as they walk in a busy shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, December 25, 2015. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

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)

Wrestlers perform at an all female wrestling event in London. England on August 17, 2017. (Photo by Neil Hall/Reuters)

UEFA staff member carry away the trophy from the pitch prior the UEFA Champions League semi-final football match between Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain at the Luz stadium in Lisbon on August 18, 2020. (Photo by David Ramos/Pool via AFP Photo)

A French bulldog wears a costume at the annual Pet Expo 2021 in Bangkok, Thailand on November 25, 2021. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

With Haystack Rock in the background, Julie Amschler, of Springfield, Mo., walks along the beach on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Cannon Beach, Ore. (Photo by Jenny Kane/AP Photo)

A pelican investigates a fallen ketchup bottle outside a cafe in St James’s Park in London, England on October 9, 2025. The species has lived there for hundreds of years and remain a popular sight for visitors. Introduced in 1664 as a gift from the Russian ambassador, about 40 pelicans have since made the park their home. The bottle was safely retrieved from the pelican. (Photo by Stephen Chung/Alamy Live News)

A wolf skin is on display for sale next to a painting of Russian communist revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, also known as Lenin, at Izmailovo flea market in Moscow on December 3, 2017. (Photo by Mladen Antonov/AFP Photo)