Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko

The satanic leaf-tailed gecko is the smallest Uroplatus gecko by body size, and a master of camouflage. Its flattened tail looks like a dead leaf and can even be notched like a decaying one, and it has spines on the head and body and an eyelash-like projection above each eye. Colours include purple, orange, tan and yellow, but most are mottled brown with small black dots on the underside, which helps tell it from similar species (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is nocturnal, hunts insects on rainforest trees, and relies on camouflage and behaviour to avoid predators: it flattens against the bark to cut its shadow, opens its mouth to flash a bright red mouth, and can shed its tail. Eggs are laid in pairs on the ground under leaf litter or in dead leaves at the start of the rainy season. Geckos have no eyelids and use their tongues to clean their eyes (Wikipedia; ReptTraits, Oskyrko et al. 2024).

Habitat loss and collection for the pet trade threaten it, and all Uroplatus are listed on CITES Appendix II. On this guide it is a target species of Masoala.