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)

Chingele, a herder, wears a traditional Mongol costume to greet a neighbor for the New Year. Chingele was among a group of herders who went to Beijing to protest eviction from grazing lands to make room for an army training camp. (Photo by Gilles Sabrie/The Washington Post)

A member of the Palace staff arranges Queen Victoria's Stuart Ball costume which is part of an exhibition to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria (1819–1901) this year at Buckingham Palace in London, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. The exhibition, Queen Victoria's Palace at the Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace from 20 July – 29 September 2019, will tell the story of her 62-year reign and her life at Buckingham Palace, which began when she ascended to the throne in June 1837. (Photo by Frank Augstein/AP Photo)

In this June 23, 2015 photo, Ashaninka Indian beauty contestants pose for a photo with members of a visiting music group, hired to perform during the annual founding anniversary festivities, in Otari Nativo, Pichari, Peru. The contestants wear the simple brown dresses of the Ashaninka woman, their faces dotted in a traditional design with a red dye extracted from a spice called achiote. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

In this June 20, 2015 photo, Niberta Galvez uses the bottom half of his shirt to collect coca leaves in Samugari, Peru. Coca farmers were among the locals who, in 1984, formed citizen militias to help the military beat back Shining Path rebels, reducing them to a small group of fewer than 500 who now are deeply involved in drug trafficking. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

A pupil arrives on the first day of school at Yas American Academy in Abu Dhabi in the last decade of August 2025. (Photo by Victor Besa/The National)

Japan's delegation gather to sign the formal surrender document on the U.S. Navy battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay in a September 2, 1945 file photo. (Photo by Reuters/US Navy)

American Fork High School's Haven Empey poses for photos on Wednesday, November 13, 2019, after being named Ms. Soccer 2019 by the Deseret News in Utah, US. (Photo by Scott G. Winterton/Deseret News)