5 Anole Morning At La Selva

Anolis capito, the pug-nosed anole. Photo by Greg Mayer from http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/summer-reading-and-summer-vacation-anoles/

What better way to start off a spring break herpetology class field trip than to go anole hunting? And what a success it was! There has been concern in recent years that the herpetofauna at the fabled La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica has been declining, but we found no shortage of herps this morning–helped, no doubt, by ample rain yesterday. Anolis humilis and A. limifrons were extremely abundant, as were strawberry poison arrow frogs and, surprisingly, night lizards. A number of A. lemurinus, beautiful red dewlap and all, were spotted, and at a stream, a trio of aquatic anoles, A. oxylophus. The highlight of the morning, however, was finding a female A. capito in its traditional spot half a meter up a tree trunk. The pug-nosed anole, as it is called, is always cryptic, and seems to have become less common in recent years, but this is our second in 24 hours, as another was found during a night walk last night.

And that was just the morning. Going for the double hat trick today, all eyes will be out for the emerald green A. biporcatus. It’s very overcast, which may work against us finding this sun-loving crown dweller often seen high in trees on sunny days. Of course, the Holy Grail of La Selva anolology is A. pentaprion, the twig anole rumored to frequent narrow branches in the canopy, and very rarely seen. But with 26 pairs of herpetological eyes on the lookout, who knows what’s possible?

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Jonathan Losos

Professor of Biology and Director of the Living Earth Collaborative at Washington University in Saint Louis. I've spent my entire professional career studying anoles and have discovered that the more I learn about anoles, the more I realize I don't know.

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