This leaf-tailed gecko blends in beautifully with its
background of tree bark. Found (though perhaps only by
the eagle-eyed) in Madagascar, these arboreal reptiles
rely on their coloration and jagged outline – created
by flaps of skin – to avoid ending up as lunch for the
local owls, rats and snakes. Like other gecko species,
these lizards have ‘sticky’ feet that enable them to cling
vertically to tree trunks, where they’re likely to remain
undetected, as long as they don’t move.
Lucas Bustamante/naturepl.com
IN FOCUS| Look closely