An Algerian demonstrator wearing face paint in the colours of the national flag takes part in an anti-government demonstration in the capital Algiers on November 1, 2019. Demonstrators converged on Algiers in their thousands for a massive anti-government rally called to coincide with official celebrations of the anniversary of the war that won Algeria's independence from France. (Photo by Ryad Kramdi/AFP Photo)

Migrants, part of a caravan traveling en route to the United States, carry an anteater that was hit by a car, according to them, as they walk on the road that links Arriaga and Tapanatepec, near Arriaga, Mexico, November 5, 2018. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

People look at “The Fall” sculpture by Steve Cramb on display between Bondi and Tamarama beach as part of the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Sydney on October 21, 2022. (Photo by Muhammad Farooq/AFP Photo)

Guests attend the Hollywood Forever 2023 Dia De Los Muertos Celebration at Hollywood Forever on October 28, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

A robot named Nia from Beijing Qingfei Technologies Co. Ltd greets visitors to the Zhongguancun Forum at the Zhongguancun International Innovation Center in Beijing, China, Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

A trio poses for a photo in front of the art installation Surrender (Flag) by John Gerrard of Ireland displayed in a courtyard of the Palacio de San Francisco, as part of the first art biennial in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, September 23, 2025. (Photo by Fernando Vergara/AP Photo)

Weddell seal numbers in 2025 have declined sharply on Signy Island, part of the South Orkney Islands in the Southern Ocean, where British Antarctic Survey researchers have tracked seal populations for nearly 50 years to understand the impact of melting sea ice. (Photo by Michael Dunn/The Times)

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)