Smiling gecko has it licked – Namibia, Africa

The cheeky web-footed gecko uses its tongue to collect water captured on its eye. The rare reptiles use the technique to drink moisture from coastal mist in Namibia, Africa.

It also needs to ensure its eyes are kept moist, as it doesn’t have any eyelids.

Web-footed geckos live in the Namib Desert, and use their webbed feet both to stay on top of the desert sands and to bury beneath it to shelter during the hot daylight hours. Unusually for lizards, they communicate with a wide variety of noises – squeaking, clicking and even croaking.

The gecko joins a long list of smiling animals who have cheered us up over the years, from the self-portrait taking macaque earlier this week…