A while back, we had discussion of a photo of a beautiful turquoise Anolis grahami. Here’s a much better photo that just popped up on Instagram. I’d love to see one of these in life. Joe Burgess says they’re from the Hellshire Hills area of south central Jamaica.
This, of course, is not the only time that blue color has evolved in anoles. I wonder what drives it. I’m told that the shockingly blue A. gorgonae on Gorgona Island is surprisingly cryptic in the shaded canopy.
And while we’re on the topic of beautifully blue A. grahami, it turns out that this species has just been featured on The Featured Creature (thanks to AA reader and Duke University anole wrangler Maria Campano for pointing this out). Enjoy the lovely photo below and check out the full story over there.
More photos and story at http://www.thefeaturedcreature.com/2012/08/mystery-solved-most-beautiful-anole.html?showComment=1346442604552#c1991819277006706898
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Maria
Thanks for posting!
Peter Mudde
Nice. And real blue as well.
Several green reptiles (f.i. Basiliscus plumifrons, Lacerta viridis, Morelia viridis) tend to become blue in captivity of their offspring remains shows a bluish shade. When kept in natural light, the full greens return.
There might be a connection between blue and shaded conditions..
Wes Chun
The blue in the upper photo (on the lizard and in the sky above) looks enhanced. Also, what happened to the color around the eye? Is gray orbital skin typical of this population?
Jonathan Losos
Another reader also wrote me to say the photo was enhanced. However, it looks pretty much like the one on the Year of the Lizard poster as well. And both of those, plus the second photo in this post, show a blue lizard with a gray eye ring. Anyone out there want to vouch for the color of these lizards?
Jonathan Losos
An AA reader did a quick and dirty analysis in iPhoto which seems to show excessive blue, indicating that the photo had been altered to make the lizard bluer. He also quickly tinkered with the photo to remove some of the blue, and came up with this, which I have to admit looks more like grahami with which I’m familiar. My apologies for posting what appears to have been a doctored photo.
Justin Sponholz
It’ll happen from time to time John, no sweat. It is still a beautiful lizard, 1 the best Grahami’s I’ve seen. Looking through I believe flickriver and google images there’s some great pictures of high turquoise and blue A. Grahami.
I know this is off topic but I don’t know where to ask that I’d have a better chance of getting a correct informed answer. What’s the smallest species of known Anolis? And maybe the website can have a question box or something of that nature, I think of many questions I have an its so hard to find info on.
Joe Burgess
They both look a little doctored. They are a beautiful species, but in 4 trips to Jamaica I have never seen any like those! Here is an un-enhanced male from Hellshire.
Kuti Ra
There are photos of yellow cristatellus and oculatus
.
The photos look pretty convincing I don’t think they’ve been doctored, but who knows?
Kuti Ra
A cool trio!