A reptile at last! Reader Andrey sent several pictures of the famous Anolis, along with some information:
I saw the recent post and actually have something I can contribute. Attached you will find 2 photos I took of a male Anolis carolinensis that happened to be wandering around on my patio as I was enjoying Sunday breakfast outside. I managed to get a few good snaps, including two in which the little guy wanted to scare me off of his territory by showing me his red neck flap [JAC: in technical jargon, this is the “dewlap”]. Of note, the carolinensis species is native to the Southeast US (where I live) but is becoming displaced by the introduced Anolis sagrei (brown anole). It has caused a modification in behavior in which the native anole has ceded its traditional habitat and foraging territory lower to the ground for higher treetops and fences, which is precisely where I found this specimen.
And for the camera geeks out there, these were shot on a Canon Rebel T2i, with a Canon EF 100mm/f2.8 Macro USM at f/2.8, ISO 200, 1/200 shutter speed (both).
Scary dewflaps!
My new favourite exclamation.
It’s “dewLAPS”!
Yes, sorry Prof. I guess my puerile mind sees what it wants to see!
Nice AF, nice bokeh!
+1
b&
Or even ‘scary dewlaps’.
No, I still prefer my first erroneous attempt.
The dewlap coloration is species-specific and presence/absence of a dewlap indicates sex. Males of all species of this genus have one, and in only a relatively fewer species do the females have a dewlap. The dewlap, in conjunction with a species-specific “pushup display,” are the ways that the individuals compete for territory.
And they often seek high ground to display. Is this because being higher than a competitor confers dominance, directly? Or is it so they are visible to more of their territory?
In response to Darrelle – it may be for both reasons, but probably more likely for ease of being seen by the trespasser. It is always fun to see them do this when to me when I walk up near them. I guess they see me as an intruder…!
Godzilla-complex, a common condition among mini dragons like Anoles.
Beautiful pictures & you’re so lucky to live where there are such cute lizards!
I wonder if the dewlap came out when he saw his reflection in the camera lens.
I, for one, welcome our new Hypnotoad overlords.
(Yeah, I know – I’m mixing my references. Deal with it.)
+1
Great pics. Love the blue eyeshadow too.
Gorgeous animal, love its colouration!
Thanks for the nice comments!
And indeed an interesting idea about seeing his reflection. I was chasing him all around our patio to try and get some good photos and it was when I would get in close and snap away that he showed his dewlap (thanks for info on the correct name!) and started to pushups.
There are different species, and they have different dewlaps. As shown here
Beautiful.
Just to clarify a couple of points, Anolis carolinensis (green) has a large native range from southeastern Oklahoms to southern Tennessee and North Carolina and all parts south, whereas the invasive A. sagrei (Cuban brown) was until very recently restricted to Florida (now moving west along the Gulf coast to Texas and north into Georgia). So most of the range of A. carolinensis is still unaffected by the invading Cubans. Green anoles have always been highly arboreal, and in the zone of competition it’s not so much that they are moving higher up as that they used to be everywhere but have ceded the ground and lower-elevation perches to A. sagrei.
For all things Anolis, check out Jonathan Losos et al.’s website: link
Beautiful coloration! I have read (Greenberg and Crews) that if an adult male engages in an agonistic encounter and loses, he then loses his brilliant coloration and reverts to the adolescent color. Is this true, and, if so, do you have a picture of a male who has lost?