The Incredible Gecko That Looks Exactly Like a Tree

[funky music]

[Narrator] Notice anything weird about this tree?

How about now that it's moving?

You're looking at one of the most remarkable reptiles

on earth, the leaf tailed gecko.

It's called that because its tail looks like,

well, a leaf.

The gecko's whole body is marvelously adapted

to life in the trees of Madagascar.

Just look at how it blends in with the bark.

Sometimes the gecko's pattern even mimics moss,

and this camouflage isn't just about color.

The gecko's edges tend to be frilly,

which breaks up and obscures its outline.

If this nocturnal hunter can manage to stay still

while it rests during the day,

it's got a good chance of fooling its predators.

But how in the world

could such incredible camouflage evolve?

It's simple really.

No two geckos are born looking exactly alike

because random mutations sneak in.

If you look slightly more like bark

than your brothers and sisters,

you've got a better chance of survival,

that means a better chance of passing down your genes.

And so little changes add up over the millennia

to create something as elegant

as a leaf tailed gecko.

[funky music]

Alrighty then, maybe elegant was the wrong word.

[funky music]