If there were an Academy Award for Best Costume in the Animal Kingdom, Henkel's Leaf-tailed Gecko would be a perennial nominee. Known by reptile boffins as Uroplatus henkeli, this master of disguise uses its uncanny ability to mimic dead leaves to hide in plain sight in Madagascar's forests.  An arboreal life keeps this creature safe from the chaos of the forest floor, although the female will venture down to lay eggs in soft soil and leaf litter.

In case you wondered, there are two different morphs of U. henkeli: the Nosy Bé form and the mainland Madagascar form. Telling them apart can be a bit tricky; sometimes their colouration patterns differ, but not always.  Reaching a total length (tail included) of 11 inches,  this is one of largest species in the genus.