
I suppose we should be glad that Antiguan racer is back from the brink of extinction, even if it’s bad news for this Antiguan anole.
An article in Oryx recently trumpeted the successful elimination of rats and mongooses from the 15th Antiguan offshore island. Once these invasive depredators have been removed, local species, including the endangered Antiguan racer have thrived, increasing in population over the last 20 years from ca. 50 to over 1,000. Though not endangered, anoles have benefited as well, with three-fold higher densities on islands on which the invaders have been removed compared to those on which they remain.
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Skip Lazell
Wonderful great news: been awaiting half a century…..
Peter Tolson
We saw the same phenomenon when we cleared rats from cays destined for Virgin Island boa reintroductions.