The Effect of Long Term Captivity on Stress Levels in Anolis carolinensis Lizards

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On May 2, 2021

In New Lit Abstracts

Anolis carolinensis from http://www.mascotissimo.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/anolis_carolinensis.jpg

New literature alert!

The Effect of Long Term Captivity on Stress Levels in Anolis carolinensis Lizards

In Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science
Borgmans, Palme, Sannen, Vervaecke, & Van Damme

Abstract

The effect of long term captivity is a factor that is important for all research utilizing wild caught animals. Despite the fact that it can be considered to be one of the most fundamental potential sources of stress in captivity, it has received a low amount of interest in recent research on lizards. Given the wide variety in ecology and life history among lizards species, it would make sense to investigate the effect of long term captivity on wild caught lizards on a broader scale. In this study we investigated the effect of long term captivity (four months) on the physiology and behavior of male and female Anolis carolinensis lizards. Our results showed no negative effects of four months of captivity on physiological and behavioral measurements in male A carolinensis lizards. Similar results for females were found for all measurements except body mass and tail width. Here our results indicated a potential negative effect of four months of captivity on body mass and tail width in females.

Read the full paper here!

#DidYouAnole – Anolis chlorocyanus

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On April 30, 2021

In All Posts


Photo: Pedro Genaro Rodriguez, iNaturalist

This week we are going back up the tree to a trunk-crown anole, Anolis chlorocyanus.

The Hispaniolan green anole is endemic to the island of Hispaniola and has been introduced to Florida. The males are bright green, sometimes being mistaken for  the American green anole, but dewlaps that have black. Females and juveniles are the same shade of green, but often have darker green lateral stripes.


Photo: sricher, iNaturalist

Hispaniolan green anoles inhabit orchards and gardens, in addition to forests. They are one of the few species of anoles that have been reported to vocalise (as noted in this past post and another found here). Like many other anoles, they are capable of rapid colour change to brown, depending on temperature, mood or other factors.

This anole is also part of an eponymous series with several closely related anoles, and there has been some talk of renaming them as new research is done about their genetics.


Photo: Yolanda M. Leon, iNaturalist

Ever Seen an Anole Drink?

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On April 29, 2021

In All Posts

Charles Leeper shows us a green anole in action from around his home. And here’s an oldie of Anolis smaragdinus doing the same:

 

The Ol’ Dine-and-Dash, Anole-Style

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On April 25, 2021

In All Posts

 

Or should we call it dine-dash-and-dewlap? Anole video-chronicler Charles Leeper has provided another view of green anole life around his house. He describes it thusly: I recently captured some anole footage that you might find interesting. In the video, we see the anole repeatedly extending its dewlap after catching the insect. I know dewlap extension is for displaying to a mate and establishing territory, but could it also be a show of triumph or excitement. I ask because there don’t appear to be any other males in sight, and the anole does it immediately after catching the prey.

Brown Anole in Green Bay!

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On April 20, 2021

In All Posts

Winter in Wisconsin is about the worst place you can imagine for a tropical lizard, but that didn’t stop this little one! This brown anole (A. sagrei) was spotted last week (April 2021) in a plant nursery in Madison, WI (ok, not exactly Green Bay…) by a friend of mine, Emily Mitchell. Thanks to her for sending the pic! This individual likely got to Wisconsin as an egg in the soil of a potted plant, and hatched in the nursery. It will have a lonely existence in its midwest nursery home, but at least we can appreciate it!

A Female Green Anole Eats a Freshly Laid Egg

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On April 18, 2021

In All Posts, Anole Videos, Ask the Experts

 

 

I recently observed one of my female green anoles swallowing a freshly laid egg, which I suspect came from the other female in the harem. I looked online to see if this behavior is common in green anoles and I was unable to find any information about it. It seems that this exceptional behavior has yet to be reported. I am not sure why my lizard did this.

Considering that my anoles have access to ample resources, including fruit baby food and plenty of gut-loaded crickets and mealworms, I do not believe that her behavior was prompted by a nutritional deficiency. Perhaps it is a novel form of intraspecific maternal competition. Maybe it is unique to mating in captivity. Or maybe this behavior is unique to this particular female — she does eat a lot, and rather indiscriminately. It is also worth mentioning that she is the comparatively larger and more dominant female out of the two.

I am curious to know if anyone else has witnessed this sort of behavior in green anoles, or if they have any ideas about why she did it. Luckily, I was able to catch some of it on video with my cellphone (please excuse the quality and my shaky hands!) just before she swallowed the egg in its entirety.

 

Is It Curtains for the World’s Most Famous TV Anole?

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On April 16, 2021

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Harry, the lizard, clearly a Lesser Antillean anole from the fictitious island of Saint Marie near Martinique and Guadeloupe in the British detective series Death in Paradise, is in jeopardy. Read all about it, but beware of spoilers.

#DidYouAnole – Anolis alutaceus

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On April 15, 2021

In All Posts

Anolis alutaceus [image] | EurekAlert! Science News

Photo: Luke Mahler

Hey there!

I’m really into these tiny anoles now, and I promise we will venture next week, but for right now. I would like to talk about Anolis alutaceus.

Anolis alutaceus, also known as the Blue-eyed grass-bush anole or Monte Verde anole, is a forest-dwelling Cuban anole that can also be found on Isla de Juventud. It is one of the anoles in the alutaceus series of 14 closely related Cuban grass-bush anoles.

Photo by Yasel Alfonso, iNaturalist

They have a sizable pale yellow dewlap, and tan brown bodies with a lateral striping running from shoulder to vent, as well as diamond patterning on their backs. Monte Verde anoles have a SVL of around 37.5mm. They can be found close to the ground on the skinny surfaces their body plans are suited for, and like many of the other anoles in their ecomorph, they move mostly by jumping.

Photo by Alex Alfil, iNaturalist

Size but Not Relatedness Drives the Spatial Distribution of Males Within an Urban Population of Anolis carolinensis Lizards

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On April 14, 2021

In New Lit Abstracts

Anolis carolinensis, photo by Delton Howard

New literature alert!

Size but not relatedness drives the spatial distribution of males within an urban population of Anolis carolinensis lizards

In Ecology and Evolution
Weber, Anthony, and Lailvaux

Abstract

The way that individuals are spatially organized in their environment is a fundamental population characteristic affecting social structure, mating system, and reproductive ecology. However, for many small or cryptic species, the factors driving the spatial distribution of individuals within a population are poorly understood and difficult to quantify. We combined microsatellite data, remote sensing, and mark–recapture techniques to test the relative importance of body size and relatedness in determining the spatial distribution of male Anolis carolinensis individuals within a focal population over a five‐year period. We found that males maintain smaller home ranges than females. We found no relationship between male body size and home range size, nor any substantial impact of relatedness on the geographic proximity. Instead, the main driver of male spatial distribution in this population was differences in body size. We also found no evidence for offspring inheritance of their parent’s territories. Males were never sampled within their father’s territory providing strong support for male‐biased dispersal. This study introduces a novel approach by combining standard mark release capture data with measures of pairwise relatedness, body size, and GPS locations to better understand the factors that drive the spatial distribution of individuals within a population.

Read the full paper here!

Congrats to the Newest Anole PhD: Dr. Avilés-Rodríguez!

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On April 13, 2021

In All Posts

A PhD that started with a hurricane and ended with a pandemic couldn’t slow down Kevin Avilés-Rodríguez — this past Friday Kevin became the newest anole doctorate when he defended his dissertation over Zoom on the interacting effects of urbanization and hurricane Maria on Anolis cristatellus.

Congratulations to Dr. Avilés-Rodríguez! And check out his amazing celebratory cake!

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