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)

Hasty Pudding Theatricals Woman of the Year Sandra Bullock gets kisses from Vice President John Blickstead (L) and President of Hasty Pudding Theatricals Clare Putnam (C) in Harvard Square February 12, 2004 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo By Douglas McFadd/Getty Images)

Models walk down the runway during the Addition Elle/Ashley Graham Lingerie Collection fashion show during the Spring 2016 Style 360 on September 15, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Fernando Leon/Getty Images)

The Thom Browne Fall 2015 collection is modeled during New York Fashion Week, Monday, February 16, 2015. (Photo by Diane Bondareff/AP Photo)

Switzerland's cyclist Marlen Reusser reacts after placing second in the women' elite time trial race of the UCI World Championships Road Cycling Flanders 2021, in Bruges, on September 20, 2021. UCI World Championships Road Cycling Flanders 2021 takes place from September 19 until September 26, 2021, in several cities in the Belgian region of Flanders. (Photo by Simon Wilkinson/BELGA via AFP Photo)

A view from the opening night of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Camping World Team Series in New York City, New York, United States on August 9, 2024. New York Mavericks earned an upset win against Kansas City Outlaws during their hometown debut at the Barclays Center. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A woman wearing a “Free Luigi” T-shirt walks at the Manhattan Supreme Court on the day Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, is to appear on New York State murder and terrorism charges, in New York City, U.S., on September 16, 2025. (Photo by Mike Segar/Reuters)

A colourful morning sunrise on Christmas Eve at Victoria Tower on Castle Hill, West Yorkshire, England on December 24, 2017. The history of human activity on the Castle Hill goes back over 4000 years. The site was developed as an iron age hill fort, surrounded by defensive ditches and ramparts. In the Middle Ages there was a castle on the hill, of which the well remains. The present tower was built to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee of 1897. (Photo by Charlotte Graham/ZUMA Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)