Several community challenges have emerged on Anole Annals in recent years such as the popular “Spot the anole” series (here, here, and here for example). Today I raise a new challenge to anole enthusiasts worldwide. I challenge you to post a single photo of anoles in the wild with the greatest species diversity. Integrity counts: photos and lizards should not be manipulated. The lizards should have naturally come into close proximity on their own volition.
To start this out I will set the bar to beat at three species. I took this photo last weekend at the University of Miami arboretum. The three species, from left to right, are A. distichus, A. carolinensis, and A. sagrei. I expect that three should be relatively easy to beat so lets see what you’ve got!
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Martha Munoz
This is an ecomorph nightmare! The trunk-ground is perching higher than the trunk-crown, and it is facing up rather than down. Perhaps we should also have a contest for “most unusual ecomorph perching behaviors” – like a trunk-crown in a bush or a twig on the trunk…
Martha Munoz
Here’s a picture of a distichus and chlorocyanus in a contest over some PVC pipes. Yes there are only two species in this picture, but it really tickled me for two reasons. 1. The distichus was very much enraged by the chlorocyanus, but the chloro just didn’t seem to care. It pretty much ignored what turned out to be a series of increasingly angry displays to evict it from the pipes. 2. What the heck are they doing on those pipes in the first place? They were laying on the ground, and neither of them had any business being there in the first place. This happened outside Jarabacoa in summer 2011.
Martha Munoz
Picture won’t attach!
Thomas Sanger
Martha, I like to think of my picture as depicting a lowly, unexpecting A. carolinensis being surrounded by exotic species and not knowing what to do about it.
And in regards to the ecomorph idea, I also have a photo on a crown-giant (A. equestris) about two feet off the ground in a small bush from this weekend. I will save that for a later contest however.
Rich Glor
I previously posted a three anole photo taken in the Dominican Republic that also included a trunk, a trunk-crown, and a trunk-ground anole.
Armando Pou
Great photo! More than three is going to be hard to beat in a natural setting.
I don’t know about “lowly” though. The male carolinensis-porcatus or porcatus in my yard get huge and can absolutely kick sagrei’s butt if the displays would ever turn to something more. Nobody seems to pay attention to the poor little distichus. They are quite prolific though.
Jonathan Losos
Just for the record, this competition already exists. Back in May of last year, I put out the “four anole challenge” and had my own three anole photo–clearly, getting four species in one shot is a non-trivial exercise. In fact, maybe it’s impossible! Who’s going to prove me wrong?
Martha Munoz
Pssshhh. My team will have 6 people with cameras. We will find 5.
Philip Fortman
How about a Anolis equestris with a Basiliscus vitiates? I believe they were both hunting smaller anole when they came upon each other on the same tree. The Basilisk withdrew first. I have one poor quality photo of a Basilisk with an Anolis sagrei in its jaws and was hoping to get a better pic when this confrontation happened here in south Florida.