This satanic looking leaf-tailed gecko is called Uroplatus phantasticus, that is, “fantastic flat tail”, by the scientists. This gecko is one of 14 species in its genus and is only found in Madagascar. They only emerge at night to hunt. Scientists think they’re mostly after insects, but there is not much information about their diet. Frank Glaw of the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology says ‘satanic leaf-tailed geckos feed on almost everything they can overwhelm, including crickets, flies, spiders, cockroaches, and snails.’
Leaf-tailed gecko is one of 14 species in its genus and is only found in Madagascar
The fantastic leaf-tailed gecko has plenty of predators to deal with. Birds, snakes, and rats, they all want him. When these geckos decide to stand their ground, they stare down their foes, and “suddenly widely open their mouths, emit loud cries, show the reddish tongue and mucosa and try to bite,” says Glaw.
Apparently, not only does the gecko’s tail look like a dead leaf – so does its body
“A light line along the back together with leaf-vein-like lines and skin structures on the body can complete the perfect imitation of a dead leaf,” says Glaw. And the coloration can be incredibly varied, “in all shades of beige, grey and brown, often with a mixture of lichen-like or even greenish spots which look very much like moss. This variability ensures that they have an adapted outfit for the different structures in their habitat.”
The leaf gecko sometimes takes up other colors that indeed make it look satanic
