Surely among the most extraordinary anoles are the six (or so) species in the genus Chamaeleolis. They’re sometimes called false chamaeleons, and for good reason–at a distance, you might mistake one for a chameleon. Not much is known about their natural history, but in a paper more than a decade ago, Manuel Leal and I showed that they behave in many respects just like chameleons, mostly in terms of their slow, jerky movements. They’re also renowned for their snail-munching ways, and we’ve had some great posts on that in the past.
Recently, the Anoland Facebook page posted a video of a C. guamuhaya eating a blueberry (above). Great stuff. I went to Youtube and found that the cinematographer, Torsten Kunsch, posted another video of possibly the same animal slowly dewlapping (below). In turn, this led me to consult Youtube for other Chamaeleolis videos. There are a bunch, though not a huge number, all seeming to be of captive animals. If I recall correctly, a documentary on Cuban wildlife that we screened a while back has some footage of wild individuals. More is needed!
- New Article on Anolis roosevelti and the Question of Its Survival - March 16, 2024
- Lizard Diving Champions: Trading Heat For Safety Underwater - March 15, 2024
- Do Large Brown Anoles Get the Most Mating Opportunities? - January 6, 2024
Kevin de Queiroz
Cool, especially all the chewing. However, if Anolis is a genus, then Chamaeleolis (a nested taxon) should not be. Let’s call it the Chamaeleolis clade.
Skip Lazell
“documentary on Cuban wildlife” – “This video does not exist.” Would have been great to see!