urbpan | 365 Urban Species. #108: Anole

Urban species #108: Anole Anolis wattsi

Clinging to trees and walls, skittering into cracks when alarmed, and seemingly always nearby when you are on Antigua, are small lizards. They are recognizable as anoles, a group of closelyrelated reptiles well-represented throughout sub-tropical America, including parts of the United States, as well as the pet trade. We quickly noticed that there were two main kinds around buildings in Antigua. A fairly drab brown one, with one or two lateral stripes, and a colorful one with shades of bluish and orange, with an almost translucent quality to its skin.

To be honest, I wasn't sure whether to log each kind separately on the 365 project, or to write about one and mention the other as a footnote. The research I just performed settled the matter for me: they are one species. The small anole native to Antigua is Anolis wattsi, and males and females of the species look quite different. Both spend their time hunting small insects using the "sit and wait" foraging--apparently the insect density on Antigua is such that more active foraging isn't necessary. The males, typical of anole species, also spend some time fighting over territory, and extending their neck pouches in display.

This anole species has recently been introduced to Trinidad, where it has become a naturalized urban species, but it does not seem to thrive in the agricultural areas separating the urban areas of that island (http://www.ahailey.f9.co.uk/pdf/wh2006.pdf).

Another, much larger, and spotted, anole species also occurs on Antigua: A. leachi.