“There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” Charles Darwin
More about Darwin day:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_Day
I like the mexican anoles
Latest posts by Ramon E. Martinez-Grimaldo (see all)
- Anole Celebration of Darwin’s Day - February 12, 2014
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- What Would Have Happened If Darwin Had Discovered The Anoles Of The Greater Antilles Instead Of The Galapagos Finches? - February 12, 2013
Jonathan Losos
And let’s not forget that Darwin was well aware of anoles! In The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, he quoted Austen (1867) to describe the aggressive behavior of A. cristatellus (which Darwin incorrectly stated to be from South America): “During the spring and early part of the summer, two adult males rarely meet without a contest. On first seeing one another, they nod their heads up and down three or four times, and at the same time expanding the frill or pouch beneath the throat; their eyes glisten with rage, and after waving their tails from side to side for a few seconds, as if to gather energy, they dart at each other furiously, rolling over and over, and holding firmly with their teeth. The conflict generally ends in one of the combatants losing his tail, which is often devoured by the victor.” He then went on to describe the dewlap and sexual dimorphism in this species. Check it out here.
Martha Munoz
Perhaps in a “nod” to Darwin (no pun intended), we should start calling headbobs headnods. Maybe anoles are just agreeing emphatically with each other during displays.