The satanic leaf-tailed gecko (uroplatus phantasticusis) wears many disguises.
It has superior camouflage — special skin that evolved to look like plants — and can also scare away predators by opening its bright red mouth and hiss like a cat.
These geckos can even shed their tail to deceive predators, not to mention they lick their corneas to keep them moist and free of dirt. Like most geckos, satanic leaf-tailed geckos lack eyelids and can’t blink.
But gook luck finding one of those awesomely named critters. Most satanic leaf-tailed geckos live in the rainforests in the central-east part of Madagascar, an island off the African continent.
The lizard typically rests during the day, using its varying shades of brown and flat tail to blend in with the leaves. Talk about benefiting from natural selection!
After exploiting its camo all day to avoid the mouths of birds and snakes, it goes hunting at night in search of crickets, moths, cockroaches, and snails.
