Manuel Leal recently observed this A. stratulus in Puerto Rico licking a leaf high in the forest at El Verde. He describes his observation over at Chipojolab, and suggests that they are not drinking water, and that the behavior is very focused.
Recently in the Bahamas, we observed a female A. sagrei licking a leaf. It hadn’t rained in several days and there wasn’t any dew on the leaves. However, close inspection of the leaf after the leaf left indicated that it was covered with a sticky substance. Perhaps aphid honeydew?
Professor of Biology and Director of the Living Earth Collaborative at Washington University in Saint Louis. I've spent my entire professional career studying anoles and have discovered that the more I learn about anoles, the more I realize I don't know.
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Gerrut Norval
Interesting! What species of plant was it?
Todd Jackman
I observed the same thing in New Caledonia with Dierogekko poumensis -licking leaves with no precipitation, and nothing on the leaves (other than the natural, waxy coating)
Ki
Today I captured a video of a green anole obsessively licking the leaves of the tree outside my Louisiana apartment. It has not rained for days, it was licking dry leaves.