the.com/anole
a tiny dinosaur doing pushups on your fence to flex at rivals.
means A small, slender New World lizard, often green or brown, known for changing color and for the males' fan-like throat flap (the dewlap) they flash during territorial displays.
from From the French 'anolis,' which French colonists in the Caribbean borrowed from a Carib or Arawakan language of the Antilles. The exact native word is uncertain, but it traveled with the islands' lizards into French, then into English by the late 18th century, keeping its tropical accent along the way.
- color shift
- Changes hue with mood and temperature, not just camouflage.
- throat fan
- Males flash a pink dewlap to threaten and woo.
- tail trick
- Drops its tail to escape, then regrows a stub.
- sticky feet
- Toe pads grip glass like microscopic Velcro.
- invasion games
- Florida hosts dozens of introduced anole species battling natives.
green anole — anolis carolinensis, native to southeastern us, can change color from green to brown
cuban brown anole — anolis sagrei, invasive species now found across florida and caribbean islands
jamaican giant anole — anolis garmani, largest anole species at up to 20 inches, endemic to jamaica