Mossy Leaf-tailed gecko, Marojejy, Madagascar
Found near the restaurant near camp 2 on Marojejy, Madagascar. It was way above me with a small cliff between me and the tree you see on the photo. I had to "guess shoot" by holding the camera above my head and just kept trying until I had a reasonable hit. This is the only Mossy gecko we found during our 2nd trip to Madagascar, so I'm quite happy we persisted. On Marojejy we also saw the Giant Leaf-tailed Gecko, which as impressive camouflage:
..but not as impressive as the mossy one! Here's another mossy one, we saw during our first trip to Madagascar:
It is so well camouflaged that even after directly pointing at it by our guide, we initially still did not see it.
"Uroplatus sikorae" is a species of gecko commonly referred to as the Mossy leaf-tailed gecko. This species, endemic to Madagascar, is found in primary and secondary forests on the island. It has the ability to change its skin color to match its surroundings and possesses dermal flaps which break up its outline when at rest.
It is a CITES II protected animal due to habitat loss and overcollection for the pet trade.
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