Many exotic species—chameleon, zebra, Michael Jackson, just to name a few—depend on camouflage for survival. But few are as cunning as incognitus redonkulii, commonly known as the "Dessert Lizard." As patient as it is gifted, the Dessert Lizard has mastered the art of blending into the environment so completely that it can enjoy its diet of meringue without detection. In this photo, for example, the Dessert Lizard has cleverly assumed the shape of a fork.
Thanks to National Geographic Your Shot. Photo by the Bonnie "Macro lens at the ready!" Marsh. I’ll never look at flatware the same way again, Sender-Inner Johanna S.
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NTMTOM, You slay me.
HAPPY RANDOM FORK DAY!
I’m not sure he’s GREEN enough.
I’m not sure his eyes are BLUE enough.
Toe beans!
Quality shot, tongularly beyond redonk.
How ever the one on the left, trying to be a knife hasn’t quite got the knack.
Now this guy makes my friend’s anole lizard, Sobe, look plain and boring. I want heem!
Oh My God! The green and blue lizard is gorgeous!! The fork lizard-not so much. I’d give up ALL of my dessert to the beautiful one.
And again I wonder-how is it that these photographers are in the right place at the right time with the right camera equipment. Are all these pictures staged?! Please don’t tell me, I don’t really want to know.
BAHAHAHAHAHA!!1!!
And to think I almost turned the computer off and went to bed without checking CO one last time. I’d have missed this gem! (Now I’ll be giggling so much I’ll never get to sleep…)
First our cute Meg on the
Martha Stewart show…
Now our hot-looking NTMTOM
appears for the first time
on the Rachel Ray show, helping with clean-up after
the lemon meringue pie segment…
Food scammers & moochers come in all shapes and sizes, don’t they! Fur, feathers, scales…
I wouldn’t be upset if a jewel -toned critter wanted some of my dessert!
Suction cup fingers!
<3
Ummm…if I was near a giant plate of whipped cream I would be exactly in this position.
Incognitus Redonkuli !!!!! Hee !!! Yay for discovering new species !
I would like to see the video of this little color and toe beauty running around afterwards with a sugar high!
NOMTOM, you always bring the smiles, Thank you.
I tried to register for this pattern when I got married and all I got was a dumb slug.
Michael Jackson. Hahahahahaha! *falls over*
NOMTOM, you’re a hoot, right you are!
Sick as a dog I am, laughed anyway, Ugh……..going back to bed, thanks NOMTOM.
Cute picture – BUT Chameleons do not change the color of their skin in response to environmental changes, they change their skin color according to mood and emotion.
HeHe Best Hover Text Ever.
This one of the funniest commentaries I’ve ever read here!
The lizard is beautiful!
LOL
I love eet!
n00bs!
hooray for cute Day geckos!
redonkulii? That is freakin hi-larr-ious.
What the heck?!
Ummm…what chameleon? I don’t see nuthin’ but a fork.
/sarcasm
OOOoohhh, what beautiful colors! I love the tongue in mid-slorp, and the suction cup toe pads.
So what’s that green thing next to him?
That thing isn’t real, is it? So beautiful!!!
I didn’t know lizards liked meringue. I suppose with all the eggs..but with all the sugar too? crazy.
@momof2kitties: that’s what i thought too!
Wow. Just everything about it……wow.
So beautiful! Nature never fails to impress.
Major slurpage thar. Nicely done, wee reptile.
C’mon, people… learn your cute. This guy’s a gecko, not a chameleon! And a beautiful gecko at that.
We used to have a few of these in a tank when I was a kid, and Day Geckos are ALL this bright and beautiful. Very decorative.
TOE BEANS!!!!!
Gecko is very, very beautiful with those brilliant colors (gotta love the 70’s eye shadow), but it’s the wee pink tongue that makes me squuueeee!
Oooh, he’s so purdy!! Lovin’ the bulbular toes.
Read more carefully, folks! The caption doesn’t say this is a chameleon. It’s a Dessert Lizard. Sharing his meringue with a really cute green thingy.
PS, FWIW, I think the bright green critter is a Gold Dust Day Gecko. The Day gecko family is brightly colored, but the Gold Dust one has the blue around the eyes.
Day geckos – excuse me, dessert lizards – are my absolute favorite lizards. I LOVE THEIR TOES!
Toesies! Tong lurpage! Lufs it.
W.O.W. !!!!!!!!!!!
Oh Mike. You rock my world!
lorp!
I used to have some of these Madagascar Geckos. They really liked plum baby food!
This is beautiful! I also wonder how people get these photos.. even if I saw something like this I would never have the camera handy nor be able to get close enough..augh.
And what does “n00bs” mean?
@Mary: “N00b” is a shortening of “newbie” (newcomer, often clueless), using numbers for some letters, which is a popular gimmick in some circles.
The Dessert Lizard is a verrrry clevaire disguise, but I specially like the green d00d next to him. I especially especially like the green d00d’s toe & tongue actions.
Ha. I guess I sound like a “n00b” then since I didn’t know what it is!
Well, never again!!
oh and thanks TONTMTOM !!(The Other NTMTOM)
ken we pleeeze have a closeup of the leeeeeking action. That tongue is very photogenic.
Love the fingers and INTENSE focus on this little guy!
Again the best thing in the photo is the description
“Incognitus redonkulii”… laughed my butt off 
And the lizard is way beyond redonk.
WOW
@Decca, were you talking about silver or spouses? In Marriage, as in Life: We are not promised a direct co-relation between what we register for and what we receive. Ain’t it the truth!
The cute little guy looks like a Gold Dust Day Gecko. The photo was taken by Bonnie Marsh while on vacation in Hawaii. The photo appeared in the November 2008 edition of National Geographic magazine and can be found here with large versions suitable for computer backgrounds/wallpaper:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/download?source=email_pom_20081016&email=pom
Here’s some more info on the Gold Dust Day Gecko, a Madagascar native that has been introduced to many Pacific islands:
http://www.centralpets.com/animals/reptiles/lizards/lzd2675.html
OMG I’m in love (again!). He can eat ice cream at my house ANY TIME he wants to.
I can’t tell which one is which!
I adore this shot! Can’t believe I used to be terrified of lizzies. They’re totally cool – and gorgeous!
Rules of Cuteness 11 and 14!!!
I used to live in Hawaii. The geckos (mo’o is the Hawaiian word for them) were welcome co-inhabitants because they eat bugs. They also leave their poo all over and lay clutches of miniature dinosaur eggs in secluded corners. Their most endearing trait is laughing like a hyena, always at 3 am when you are watching a scary movie. Cats also loved to hunt them and leave bits around for snacks later. I loved the mo’os so much more than the icky centipedes, millipedes, and flying roaches!
shoppage? (ducks)
EEEK! DAY GECKO! I luff them. The next critter I get is going to be a day gecko of some kind. They eat nectar and fruit in the wild as well as insects, which explains this one’s love for sugary treats!
I used to work at a pet store that had gargoyle geckos (not quite as pretty as day geckos, but they’re larger and hardier) and we had one that would jump out of his cage when you opened it so he could sit on your shoulder. He loved hanging out on our shoulders
He would also lick fruit baby food off our fingers. He was great and I was sad when we sold him.
Little toes! Little fat sausage body!
want day gecko…
Watch out, Geico Gecko. This little dude is gonna take you out.
Oh. That says Dessert, not Desert. My brain fixed it for me.
I love these little guys.
I have geckos (not these pretty, bright day geckos) all over my house. They’re so cute, and they like the laser spot toy better than my cats do.
Oh hey! I saw this post and thought, what? I’ve seen this before! It was months ago! Why are you reposting the gecko? …aaaaand then I realized I’d seen it before ’cause it’s from National Geographic, and that’s where I work. Heh.
Ackshally, I think the Geico Gecko is modeled on a Day gecko.
Gillian, I’ll be right over.
a note of concern for this gecko: reptiles are not able to digest dairy, that stuff on the plate looks a lot like icecream
Learn to read, anya.
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