A reader called my attention to this lovely image by photographer Thomas Marent, who has taken some stunning wildlife photos you can see on his webpage (click on the big image to go inside; I especially like the reptiles).
I’ve taken a screenshot from his introductory page so you can see the image without the photographer’s name superimposed, but be aware that this is copyrighted by Mr. Marent and he’s kindly given permission for me to reproduce it here without fee (i.e., don’t repost it).
This is image 78 on the “reptiles” page. But do spend some time looking at his other shots; Marent is one of the best wildlife photographers I’ve seen.
Click to enlarge, and you should:
This is the Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus), an appropriate name—except for the “Satanic” part. Why is it satanic?
It’s endemic to Madagascar (of course; that’s where all the weird stuff lives), is nocturnal, and—like many animals on that island—threatened by deforestation.
The crypsis (camouflage) is amazing. As Wikipedia notes (link above):
Some U. phantasticus geckos even have notches in their tails to further mimic a decaying leaf. This is also thought to be a form of sexual dimorphism, as the trait seems more common in the males of the species. In addition, U. phantasticushas an eyelash-like projection above each eye. During daylight hours, these adaptations help the gecko blend into its surroundings. At night it helps the gecko hunt for prey by providing camouflage.
Here’s a short clip (with inappropriate James-Bondian type music) showing a pet specimen. And there are a lot more images on this page.
That is so cool. The head, body and tail all are amazingly leaf like. I can’t imagine a better camouflage
Reblogged this on Mark Solock Blog.
Technically speaking, you are reposting, as this is NOT a blog. 😉
The pictures on the site are gorgeous. I particularly like the capybaras!
Amazing. I can see from the link why it is ‘satanic’. It has that ‘satanic’ look from the front.
I can’t quite tell where the gecko ends and the leaves start, amazing!
Amazing is certainly an appropriate descriptor. Even the eyes themselves seem to be camouflaged.
I’ll have to see if I can find it, but I seem to remember another amazingly camouflaged gecko from Madagascar that so resembled the bark of a certain tree that it could be difficult to distinguish even in close up photos such as this one.
You can’t see the eyes in this pic; that’s the back of its head.
It’s called ‘satanic’ for pretty straightforward descriptive reasons.
See pix here and especially here.
Head and body are in dorsolateral view, the left eye is plainly visible.
After looking I can’t find the the exact images or video I remember, but it appears that there are many different types of leaf tailed geckos. Many of which appear to have evolved to blend in with the bark of trees.
This webpage has some amazing pictures of other varieties of leaf tail geckos, one of which is surely the same species I remember. In particular take a look at the 10th, 15th and 25th pictures, counting from the top down.