Author: Chelsea Connor Page 4 of 5

Herper and PhD student from the Commonwealth of Dominica. Researching dietary niche overlap of the native and invasive species of anole on my island, and something new for my PhD.
...And also like every other anole. Every week. #DidYouAnole?

#DidYouAnole – Curly-tailed Anoles

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On November 27, 2020

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Photo by Steven Kurniawidjaja, iNaturalist

Hello! Hope you had a good Thursday!

I moved #DidYouAnole and shortened it for this week because of the holiday. We aren’t talking about one specific anole (or lizard) today, but just ideas on an observed behaviour.

Recently someone posted a picture of curly-tailed Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei) noting that they had been seeing this recently with the brown anoles in their area.

This intensity of tail curling, while typical of curly-tailed lizards (they’re named for it!), isn’t all too uncommon in anoles. For curly-tailed lizards, their tail curl is possibly used as part of anti-predator behaviour, meaning it helps them distract a predator away from their bodies, or makes them look bigger. Anoles also use their tails in a similar way, waving them during aggressive displays against other males and predators.


Photo by Bill Lucas, iNaturalist

Lizards use their tail in various kinds of signaling and tail curling is one that we have been observing but don’t quite know a lot about yet! Has anyone else observed this or have any ideas about tail curling behaviour?

#DidYouAnole – Anolis proboscis

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On November 19, 2020

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Photo by Osoandino, iNaturalist

This week’s anole is one of three recorded species of anoles with a proboscis, the Pinocchio Anole, or Ecuadorian Horned Anole. The other two proboscid species being Anolis phyllorhinus and Anolis laevis.

Anolis proboscis has been featured on this website several times and is well loved here, so you may already know that only the males have the proboscis.
They are capable of raising and lowering their appendages and use it for attracting mates. They move their heads side to side in displays referred to as ‘proboscis flourishing’ (Quirola et al. 2017). Males also stimulate females during courtship, by rubbing the nape of their necks with the appendage. The horn can’t be used as a weapon for fighting other males as it is very flexible, capable of folding right over (Losos et al. 2012), but they display their horns during these interactions, raising them, most likely to appear larger and more intimidating to the rival male. Their dewlaps are small, which is common in anoles with other physical signals, but more research is needed into the uses of the appendage to further confirm its uses.


Female Pinocchio Anole, photo by Nelson Apolo, iNaturalist

The Pinocchio Anole males, unlike other proboscid anoles, are born with a small horn. Why do they have the horn so early? We don’t know… yet!

This anole is very hard to find, actually even being assumed extinct after going unseen by locals and visiting scientists alike, after specimens were collected in 1966, until accidentally being spotted by a birdwatching group in 2005 when a male crossed the road. They typically prefer dense vegetation but on occasion may be found active on the ground. Pinocchio Anoles are endangered, and only found in the protected forest reserves that make up their range in Ecuador, where they are endemic.

#DidYouAnole – Anolis maculiventris

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On November 12, 2020

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Some people think that the anoles with brown colouring and patterns are too drab or boring but honestly I appreciate their ability to blend in almost seamlessly to their habitats. The Blotchbelly Anole is another one of those, usually brown, sometimes with light patterning or a tan line down its back.

The males have a unique burnt sienna coloured dewlap, while the females of this species have no dewlap. Blotchbelly anoles appear to be twig anoles and they inhabit lowland forests in Ecuador and Colombia.

The anole gets its name due to the spotting (but not blotches) on its belly. Female Blotchbelly Anoles may be slightly larger than the males with a recorded length of 124-140 mm (Arteaga 2013), and the males at 120-129 mm.

#DidYouAnole? – Anolis lyra

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On November 5, 2020

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Photo by Andreas Kay, Flickr

Found from northwestern Ecuador to central Colombia, Anolis lyra is a trunk anole that gets its name (Lyre Anole) from the lyre shape on the back of its head.

Photo by Danny Rosero, iNaturalist

As it is sympatric with several other Ecuadorean anoles, it helps that this one has distinct features, like the marking on its head and its very distinct dewlap that is red in males with a dark central spot, and grey-white in females (also with the spot). They have an SVL of about 77mm (males) and 73mm (females).

Photo by Fabio Cianferoni, iNaturalist

The Lyre Anole is near threatened and affected by habitat loss from deforestation.

#DidYouAnole? – Anolis barbatus (Chamaeleolis Clade)

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On October 22, 2020

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Photo by Pascal Samson, iNaturalist

Hey!

It is still the best month ever, Halloween, and so we are continuing with anoles that channel that.

Today, is an anole masquerading as another lizard, Anolis barbatus.

Anolis barbatus is one of six species of anoles in the Chamaeleolis clade. This clade of anoles, all from Cuba, are called False Chameleons… because they look like chameleons. Bet you weren’t expecting that.

A. chamaeleonides by Alex Alfil, iNaturalist

False Chameleons have independent eye movement much like true Chameleons, and additionally have that bony casque. They have very cryptic colouring which helps them blend into the twigs they spend time on, and move slowly while swaying in order to mimic a twig swaying in the wind. But they can move fast to get away from persistent negative stimulus. They are also fairly large anoles, but despite this spend most of their time on twigs and small branches. These anoles are pretty stocky with an SVL of about 15-17cm and short limbs and tail.

False Chameleons exhibit very little sexual dimorphism. Both sexes have dewlaps and males are somewhat larger than the females, but the best way to tell is to by checking the postanal scales.

Photo by Veronika Zahradníčková

These anoles are also called Snail-eating Anoles because, well, they eat snails. They have broad, blunt teeth which enables them to crush the shells. They also feed on insects and because of their adaptations for crunching through snail shells, they are also able to feed on beetles and other insects with harder exoskeletons. They crush the shells, spit them out and then eat the snail. False Chameleon anoles also lack caudal autotomy, so they can’t drop their tails like other anoles do.

Photo by Veronika Holáňová

The five other species in this clade are A. agueroi, A. chamaeleonides, A. porcus, A. guamuhaya and A. sierramaestrae and it turns out this was kind of about all of them, but that’s OK! I can change my format like that if I want!

I’m not sure if their tails are prehensile, so if you do, please let me know!

#DidYouAnole – Anolis dracula

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On October 15, 2020

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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.

#DidYouAnole – Anolis lososi

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On October 8, 2020

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Hey! Hope everyone has been having a good month so far!

As we all know it is October, my favourite time of year, and I am trying to bring you anoles that can fit the season. For now, here’s an anole whose female has an orange and black dewlap, the official unofficial colours of Halloween.

Anolis lososi is an Ecuadorean anole that tends to be found in open areas of forest.

The anoles are usually about 55-60 mm (SVL) and have bands on their tails and limbs. Their colouring is grey to green, sometimes brown, and resembles lichen. The females have yellow-orange dewlaps with black spots, while males have white, unpatterned dewlaps.

The limbs of this anole are short and it has been found sleeping on twigs and ferns from 2 to 8m off the ground.

Because this anole was recently found and described, there’s not a lot of information about it. Yet!

Journal of Natural History, 2017. doi:10.1080/00222933.2017.1391343

#DidYouAnole – Anolis gracilipes

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On September 24, 2020

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Lizard, Norops or Anolis gracilipes? | Andreas Kay | Flickr

Photo by Andreas Kay, Flickr

Hey all!

Here’s a bit of lizard joy for you today!
HUGE shoutout and credit to The Amphibians and Reptiles of Mindo by Arteaga et al. because I can’t find any natural history info about this anole anywhere but in this book. If you can get it, you should! Because of current events they can’t do their normal herping tours (Tropical Herping) and could use the support. Their photography is amazing and you can get calendars, posters and pocket field guides!

NOW ON TO THE ANOLE.

Charm Anole (Anolis gracilipes) · iNaturalist

Photo by Andreas Kay, iNaturalist

Anolis gracilipes, the Charm Anole, certainly is a charming little anole.
It’s been classified as a twig ecomorph, a group of small anoles whose bodies are adapted for narrow surfaces like, you guessed it, twigs. This little lizard can get up to 172-181 mm for males and 169-191 mm for females.

This anole has a brown colouring on its back, with triangular markings and green on its throat, down to its chest.

Photo by Jorge Britos, iNaturalist

Charm anoles can be found in Ecuador and Colombia, where they are common, but may depend on (unfortunately declining) forest canopies.

Photo by Edison Ocaña

Charm anoles are ambush predators and sometimes can be found at ground level.

#DidYouAnole – Anolis gemmosus

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On September 17, 2020

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Hello and welcome back!

Sorry I missed last week but I’m here to make it up to you with another impressively coloured anole.

This week is Anolis gemmosus, the Gem Anole.

The Gem anole is another Ecuadorean anole where they are common in the cloud forests.
Female gem anoles have no dewlap, are mainly green in colour and typically have a tan stripe or chevron pattern down their back.

Gem Anole (Anolis gemmosus) · iNaturalist

Photo by Andreas Kay

Males typically have spotting all over or in the form of stripes down their tails and bodies and their dewlaps are large starting with blue closer to their necks, shifting to green then yellow-green. They also have white stripes across the dewlap. The largest recorded Gem anole was 66mm (SVL) and they may be quite long-lived.

Anolis gemmosus | O'Shaughnessy's Anole (Anolis gemmosus), m… | Flickr

Photo courtesy of James A. Christensen

Their pattern makes them very cryptic and difficult to spot, and since they prefer to perch in foliage, it helps them as ambush predators.

STUDIES ON THE ECOLOGY AND POPULATION BIOLOGY OF LITTLE KNOWN ECUADORIAN ANOLES

Gem anoles don’t bask intentionally (Arteaga et al, 2013). How does that work?? Well they just happen to get filtered sunlight where they choose to hangout and wait for their prey. They don’t look for perches in direct sunlight to bask. They do appear to pick perches to sleep in however, that get exposed to sunlight when the sun rises so they can quickly reach activity temperatures.

Will this lovely photo by Diana Troya take home the gold?

Photo by Diana Troya

#DidYouAnole? – Anolis fraseri

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On September 3, 2020

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Image by Jonathan Newman, iNaturalist

Hey guys!
Hope you have all been OK. I’ve been working on some things, thinking of new anole sticker designs, WRITING. Been pretty productive I feel, and now I’m back, #DidYouAnole is back, the anoles… Have never left this anole website. But thank you for coming back for my posts!

Today’s anole is Anolis fraseri, the Hippie Anole.

This anole is a crown-giant that is native to low montane forests, riparian habitats and orchards in Ecuador and Colombia. The males get up to 109 mm (SVL) and the females, 116 mm.

As you can tell from the pictures, this anole’s colouring is mainly shades of green and olive with striping, and it may have blotches on its head and/or sides that are red or orange, even pink. Like many other anoles, it can change its colour to a dark brown. These colours kind of make the anole look tie-dyed to me, which I think is where its common name comes from (let me know if that’s not the case).
Some individuals may be mistaken for other anoles that occupy the same habitat with similar patterning, but can be told apart by the dewlap colour.

Anolis fraseri | Fraser's Anole, Anolis fraseri, a strikingl… | Flickr

Photo courtesy of James A. Christensen

The Hippie Anole is a sit-and-wait predator, relying on crypsis.

According to The Amphibians and Reptiles of Mindo, this anole is widely distributed in the part of the forest with the vegetation cover that it prefers, but is only found in these areas, making it uncommon and possibly endangered.

A note on honourific names (like the name of this anole):

This anole is also referred to as Fraser’s Anole, however regarding recent discussion about scientific racism and honourific names, I will refer to it by its other name Hippie Anole. When I just started out as a scientist, the history of naming organisms after important figures in science seemed liked a good practice, something I desperately wanted myself, until I learnt more. While we cannot deny their valid contributions to our respective fields, we also cannot overlook their ideas regarding race. As a Black scientist, it is an uncomfortable environment where the people who did not think I was equal to them or even capable of being regarded as a human being are constantly lauded, and I am to study animals that are named after them. A constant reminder. I cannot pick and choose their legacy, I don’t have that privilege as a Black woman, it all stays with me. Our study subjects are magnificent animals, and I would like them to be just that, free from marred legacies.

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