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Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko — printable fact sheet
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Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko
Uroplatus phantasticus
Uroplatus phantasticus, the satanic leaf-tailed gecko, is an eastern Madagascan rainforest lizard barely 7 to 9 centimetres long, and it is arguably the finest dead-leaf mimic among vertebrates. The mimicry is not merely leaf-shaped: the flattened tail carries irregular notches …
Did you know?
- Despite its fearsome name, the Satanic leaf-tailed gecko is completely harmless and relies solely on camouflage for defense.
- Each satanic leaf-tailed gecko's tail is individually shaped, and the "damage" in the outline is genetic, not the result of actual injury. Like most geckos, it has no eyelids and cleans its eyes with a long tongue. When cornered it can shed its tail, which is a real cost here because the tail is the centrepiece of its camouflage. Related Uroplatus species, such as U. sikorae, mimic bark instead of leaves and use skin flaps that eliminate their shadow against a trunk.
What I learned
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