We’re certainly not shy about posting on our favorite lizards being eaten by other organisms (see this post and links therein). Heck, we’ve even posted on anoles being eaten by plants and insects. However, I can’t help but be a bit disturbed by videos posted online that show anoles being used as food for captive chameleons (1, 2, 3, and many others). Although many of the videos start with the anole already in the much large chameleons mouth, at least one of these videos shows a large veiled chameleon using its tongue to catch the anole (1, 2). A giant sticky tongue is not likely something anoles have evolved any defenses against.
Latest posts by Rich Glor (see all)
- JMIH 2014: Early Records of Fossil Anolis from the Oligocene and Miocene of Florida, USA - August 13, 2014
- JMIH 2014: Relative Contribution of Genetic and Ecological Factors to Morphological Differentiation in Island Populations of Anolis sagrei - August 7, 2014
- JMIH 2014: The Ultrastructure of Spermatid Development within the Anole, Anolis sagrei - August 5, 2014
Jonathan Losos
I believe that historically zoos have been big purchasers of anoles from Louisiana and Florida to use as food. I remember seeing a picture in the journal Science of some sort of lemur or other prosimian snacking on one. Horrible!
Bill Bateman
Veiled chams are feral in at least one place in Florida I believe – I wonder if they have had an impact on the anoles there (density, behaviour etc etc)
Unknown
Poor anoles, I keep two of them as pets, and I can not keep myself from feeling bad for the poor baby ones. I do not think you should treat them in that poor condition considering they are living things and prefer to be kept that way!