A caiman in the Pantanal region of Brazil in 2021. They are used to seeing humans, allowing the photographer, Leighton Lum, a close-up shot. (Photo by Leighton Lum/Caters News Agency)
A man walks near a artwork of Italian artist Dario Agrimi entitled “ascesa” during a press preview of the first edition of “Roma Arte in Nuvola”, the international fair of modern and contemporary art in Rome on November 18, 2021 at the Roma Convention Center “La Nuvola”. (Photo by Tiziana Fabi/AFP Photo)
In this November 12, 2015, file photo, Mt. Everest is seen from the way to Kalapatthar in Nepal. An American climber has died near the summit of Mount Everest and an Indian climber is missing after heading down from the mountain following a successful ascent, expedition organizers said Sunday. (Photo by Tashi Sherpa/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)
Fishermen repair brightly coloured nets before their next trip to the River Matla in West Bengal, India in the last decade of July 2025. (Photo by Avishek Das/Solent News & Photo Agency)
Zhou Xiaoxuan, center, weeps as she speaks to her supporters upon arrival at a courthouse in Beijing, Wednesday, December 2, 2020. Zhou, a Chinese woman who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against a TV host, told dozens of cheering supporters at a courthouse Wednesday she hopes her case will encourage other victims of gender violence in a system that gives them few options to pursue complaints. (Photo by Andy Wong/AP Photo)
Tim Anderson final balanced rock stack in the Llano River. Tim Anderson, rock balancing “pro” from Pennsylvania, carefully worked to balance his stack on a dry spot in the Llano river Saturday March 12, 2016. He was an honored guest of the festival and enjoyed visiting Texas so he came for another year. The river was higher this year because of the rains so the balancers could not get to the better rock that were available last year. (Photo by Nell Carroll/American-Statesman)