Amazing nature #53 - The satanic gecko with leaf tail
Today in amazing nature we bring another unique animal, of those that if we knew it we were astonished by its form and of not knowing it equally we were impacted, it is a very peculiar lizard or gecko, this one resembles very much to a leaf, already nothing surprises me in the natural world, the evolution of some species is amazing and the one of this gecko is not the exception, its form of leaf makes me remember the form of the mantis that also have a similar evolution. Come and join me to know more about this unique species.
Nature is always ready to surprise us and the satanic gecko with a leaf tail is one of the animals that most attracts our attention. Not because of its size or strength, but because its camouflage goes completely unnoticed. Its short life develops between the leaves, as if it were one of them, and despite the demonization of its name, it is not as sinister as it seems.
Its scientific name is no less surprising: Uroplatus Phantasticus. The first term means flat tail, the second... I think you can understand it on your own. The only place in the world where you can see one is on the island of Madagascar and they are only active at night, when they are looking for food. Let's meet this fantastic creature.
The little we know about the leaf tail gecko
It is believed that nature feeds only on insects, while those in captivity have a much more varied diet and basically ingest everything that is offered: cockroaches, ants and snails.
The truth is that very little is known about their true diet. Some similar species even eat small mice, but it is not proven to be the case of this small gecko.
They are attacked by rats, snakes and birds, so sometimes they defend themselves by opening their mouth, shrieking and trying to bite predators. Their tails change colour and if the animal does not leave, then they jump from branch to branch until they find a safe place.
From the best camouflages of the animal kingdom
Before going to the extreme of facing another animal, they prefer not to be seen. To achieve this, they have a surprising camouflage system that allows them to mimic their body with the dead leaves of the jungle environment. In the back they have a line that looks like a rib of leaf and the colors can vary according to their environment. They range from brown to grey and sometimes even moss green.
Added to all this is the fact that they spend most of the day hanging from trunks and branches, as if they were leaves. It is impossible for any animal to realize that they really are not and for an animal like this, it would be very difficult to survive without such abilities.
As for its great name, it comes from its sometimes red eyes and the shape of its head with what appear to be horns. Those who live in the area where they live fear him for his attitude towards predators and call him a demon.
What a wonderful camouflage, we can notice how the armed forces of the whole world have been influenced by the same nature to generate their camouflages, only that, with animals like this, it is very difficult to compete, their camouflage is simply spectacular.
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