Page 65 - (DK) I Can’t Believe It! 2

STRANGE BUT TRUE! 63

This mini-monster epitomizes survival of the
fittest, having adapted gradually to become MOSSY MASK
today’s extraordinary leaf impersonator.
Snakes and rats target the gecko—if the
disguise fails, the brave battler falls to
the forest floor, hoping to disappear in the
foliage, or leaps to a higher branch for shelter.

Madagascar’s mossy leaf-tailed
The twisted body and gecko is another master of
veiny skin echo the detail disguise. Its color and markings
of a dry leaf, which make it look exactly like mossy
ensures the gecko blends
in with its forest home. tree bark. A fringe of skin
flattens the gecko against the
tree so that, when still, it blends
seamlessly into its forest habitat.

The mottled tail
appears to have
sections missing,
as though it has
withered over time.

US_062-063_309600_Devil_in_disguise.indd 63 19/12/17 12:56 pm