Can you spot the gecko camouflaged among the tree branches?

Can you spot the gecko camouflaged among the tree branches?

01/08/2020

These Mossy geckos are hiding in plain sight.

The incognito creatures are nearly invisible against the bark backdrop of their tree-filled terrarium, as seen in a fascinating video shot by a UK lizard lover.

The clip — recorded by stonemason and reptile enthusiast David Bagshaw, 34 — pans over what looks like an empty glass enclosure filled with plants, Caters News Service reports.

However, upon closer inspection, eagle-eyed viewers can spot Bagshaw’s three pet mossy leaf-tailed geckos, immaculately camouflaged against the branches. A casual observer could mistake them for moss or a blight. The elusive animals only reveal themselves when they lift up their heads and open their headlamp-like yellow eyes toward the end of the clip.

The gecko’s “Predator”-like penchant for blending in is a result of their polymorphism, the ability to “change skin color to aid camouflage,” says David. In fact, it was their shade-shifting skills that inspired him to become a reptile keeper in the first place, and he plans to start breeding the creatures this year.

In the video, his pets switch their pigment to masquerade as the lichens and moss that comprise their vivarium. The effect is completed by a dermal flap, a wing suit-like appendage that prevents the animal’s body from casting a shadow on a tree branch. As a result, the critters are rendered imperceptible to snakes and other predators — a must for an animal that sleeps in the open during the day and hunts at night.

Mossy geckos aren’t the only creatures who can adjust their hue to evade enemies and surprise prey. The octopus can famously change both its body’s color and texture to match its surroundings, according to Smithsonian.

Humans might soon be following suit thanks to this new Harry Potter-esque “invisibility cloak” by a Canadian biotech firm. 

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