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)

An Egyptian actress working at the Pharaonic Village simulates ancient agriculture scenes during a show marking Sham el-Nessim, or “smelling the breeze”, in Giza, Egypt, Monday, April 13, 2015. The holiday signifies the arrival of Spring, a uniquely Egyptian tradition practiced since the days of the Pharaohs. (Photo by Amr Nabil/AP Photo)

At 10,582 square kilometres, the Bolivian salt flats – otherwise known as Salar de Uyuni – are the largest on the planet and contain between 50 and 70% of the world’s lithium reserves. After exploring Chile and Argentina, photographer Joel Santos decided to travel to Bolivia in January 2017 to check the salt flats off his bucket list. With an electrical storm rolling in, Joel and his two travelling companions were the only souls left on the vast flats and captured the eerie flats without a person in sight. (Photo by Joel Santos/Barcroft Images)

A volunteer places hurricane shutters at the Cedar Key Fire Station ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2023. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)

Spectators shoot video with his their cellphones as Aerosparx Grob109b motor gliders launch fireworks while performing aerobatics at the end of Oeiras Valley Air Show, an aerobatics festival integrated in the Portugal Air Summit'22, over Santo Amaro Beach on October 16, 2022 in Oeiras, Portugal. The festival included various aerobatics performances with airplanes from the Air Race Championship, a Supermarine Spitfire, and air shows by former world champions Ramón Alonso, Castor Fantoba, Jorge Macias, Luís Garção, Quijote, Jacobstars and The Raven Team. It also had an overflight of the Portuguese Air Force F16s and, at the end of the afternoon, Aerosparx team illuminating Santo Amaro water mirror with fireworks launched from the airplanes' wings. (Photo by Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

English-French actress and singer-songwriter Charlotte Gainsbourg attends the red carpet of the movie “Sundown” during the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 05, 2021 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images)

A cat wearing a dress is carried around in a transparent rucksack at the annual Pet Expo Thailand 2021 in Bangkok on November 25, 2021. (Photo by Jack Taylor/AFP Photo)

“Window of Autumn” by Hasan Baglar taken in Nicosia, Cyprus, which has come first in the All About Plants Section for the RHS Photographic Competition 2019. (Photo by Hasan Baglar/RHS/PA Wire Press Association)