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)

Performers on boats take part in the Qintong Boat Festival at Qin Lake National Wetland Park on April 6, 2019 in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province of China. The boat festival is held around the Qingming Festival every year, and up to 10,000 participants from nearby villages and towns, with more than 500 boats, took part in the event this year. (Photo by Tang Dehong/VCG via Getty Images)

A Beijing Opera performer dances for a show by designer Hao Weimin at China Fashion Week, China, October 28, 2019. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

John Cox, far left, begins his recall campaign for California governor with “Tag”, a Kodiak brown bear, on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 in Sacramento. It was the first stop for his “Meet the Beast” bus tour. (Photo by Renee C. Byer/The Sacramento Bee via AP Photo)

Dozens of hot air balloons fill the sky on the second day of the 2024 International Balloon Festival (FIG) in Leon, Mexico, 16 November 2024. (Photo by Luis Ramirez/EPA)

Miss Universe Puerto Rico, Karla Guilfu, parades in a swimsuit during the Miss Universe 2023 preliminary gala in San Salvador, El Salvador, 15 November 2023. (Photo by Rodrigo Sura/EPA/EFE)

A woman walks in the Zaryadye Park, with a Soviet era skyscraper seen in the background, during a sunny day in Moscow, Russia on April 21, 2025. (Photo by Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)

A policeman stops a cyclist as demonstrators from Extinction Rebellion (XR) protest during the NATO Summit by blocking the A12 highway in The Hague, The Netherlands, 25 June 2025. The Netherlands, for the first time in NATO's history of existence, is hosting a NATO summit. (Photo by Sebastiaan Barel/EPA)