Bright green male who won the fightAn instantaneous color change for the loser.
Two adult male A. maynardi were sitting on a flat tile deck about 6 inches apart with dewlaps exposed and head crests up. There was much head bobbing and they showed their bright yellow dewlaps by turning their heads sideways. Then fast wrestling occurred – It looked like they were using their mouths to bite each other — with the participants separating briefly before repeating the wrestling, during which they turned each other over and over. We (humans) may have precipitated the end of this bout by opening a door to get a camera, but one male ran off the deck down the vertical wall and the other stayed to watch. At this point a small female ran between the two towards the male nearest the deck. After 10 minutes the male that moved off first is sitting on a hand rail and has changed to his dark color, while the other male remains on a step still bright green.
Also: a brief note on nocturnal feeding. We had our first decent rain of the season on the 24th April and on coming home at about 8.30 pm, a large cosmopolitan gecko and a male A. maynardi were sharing the same wall and feeding on insects attracted to the outdoor lights.
- Holiday Observations Of Anolis Maynardi - January 1, 2013
- Waiter, There’s An Anole In My Soup! - November 27, 2012
- Male-Male Interactions in Anolis maynardi - April 29, 2012
Thomas Sanger
This may be a silly question, but I am OK with that.
Do “loser” green anoles (A. maynardi or otherwise) often remain dark for a some time following a battle? Conversely, do the “winners” stay proud and green? Does anyone have any insight into this?
Simon Lailvaux
“Loser” A. carolinensis are usually, but not always, dark for a while if left in the same cage as the “winner”. No idea exactly how long, or if this persists after the rival male is no longer in view.