To the less discerning eye, it could be a leaf shriveling up on a tree fighting the onset of the first autumn chill.
But this amazing form is in fact a lizard which can camouflage itself so well that it actually looks like a leaf.
Perched on a branch, this Satanic leaf-tailed gecko has blended itself into its surroundings so expertly that even making out its coil-shaped body among the foliage is no mean feat.
The Satanic Leaf Tailed Gecko, is a species of gecko endemic to the island of Madagascar. First described in 1888 by George Albert Boulenger, U. phantasticus is the smallest in body of the Uroplatus geckos, though there is an ongoing debate as to whether one of its cousins, U. ebenaui, is smaller because of its shorter tail. The satanic leaf tailed gecko is also commonly known as the eyelash leaf tailed gecko or fantastic leaf tailed gecko.
