Uroplatus phantasticus

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/uroplatus-phantasticus

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Uroplatus phantasticus
2. What is the habitat?Tropical rainforests of eastern Madagascar
3. What does the Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko look like?It looks like a fallen leaf, with a flat body and a leaf-shaped tail that has serrated edges. Its skin is mottled in browns, grays, and sometimes green to match the forest floor.
4. How does it hide from predators?It stays very still and uses its leaf-like shape and colors to blend into leaf litter. This makes it almost invisible to birds and snakes that hunt during the day.

Crypsis: The ability of an organism to avoid observation or detection by other organisms.
Endemism: The ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island or continent.
Indicator Species: A species whose presence, absence, or abundance reflects the condition of an ecosystem.