Anole Densities Three Times Higher on Antiguan Islands Cleared of Rats and Mongooses

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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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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