Adult male, male, female and subadult male
Hey y’all!! Happy Halloween month!
I found a really cool anole, that I know you will all enjoy.
This week we are looking at Anolis dracula, which sadly didn’t get its specific epithet from the vampire, but from the reserve where it was found.
Dracula Anole (top) and Equatorial Anole (bottom). Images from Yánez-Muñoz et al. (2018)
Anolis dracula can be found at ~2200m in the Andes in Ecuador and Southern Colombia, and is very similar in appearance to the Equatorial Anole. It can only be distinguished from Equatorial Anoles, that inhabit the same range, by closer examination of the skull or hemipene, or by genetic analysis. They have a snout-to-vent length of about 70-82mm. Female Dracula Anoles can also have a dewlap smaller than that of the male.
Dewlaps of A) Adult male Dracula Anole, B) Female, C) Subadult female, and D) Male Equatorial Anole. Images from Yánez-Muñoz et al. (2018)
They are also active on the ground, and were caught in pitfall traps as noted in Yánez-Muñoz et al. (2018), where the species is described.
...And also like every other anole. Every week. #DidYouAnole?
- #DidYouAnole – Anolis allogus - December 24, 2021
- #DidYouAnole – Anolis gundlachi - November 12, 2021
- #DidYouAnole – Anolis phyllorhinus - November 5, 2021
Rick+Wallach
I would imagine you could also tell them apart because the dracula anole never drinks….wine.