Category: Anole Art, Literature, and Humor Page 3 of 11

I previously mentioned this book, but through the kindness of author Karin Mesa, I can report on the contents of Oliver the Overachiever. This fine children’s book details the lifestyle of non-conforming independent thinking Oliver, who from the day of his hatching, insisted  on doing things his way. Needless to say, the conservatives were against change, worrying–correctly–about the threats posed by housecats. But Oliver persevered and eventually triumphs, bringing great joy to the anole masses.

This is a fine message to send to young readers. The drawings are full of whimsy and the book is the recipient of the Mom’s Choice Awards in the category “Children’s Picture Books (Suitable For Ages Birth To 9)” and Preferred Choice Award of the Creative Toy Awards 2011. Apparently, this may be the first of many in the Oliver series and, who knows, maybe they’ll span a movie. You can learn more about Karin’s artistic diversity at her website.

Anolis pogus. Photo from Wildlife of St. Martin.

The resemblance is uncanny

The diminutive A. pogus of St. Martin is sometimes referred to as the bearded anole. Since anoles lack hair, facial or otherwise, one might wonder where the name comes from. In fact, Mark Yokoyama explains on his Wildlife of St. Martin site, the name is a misnomer, a misguided translation of the specific epithet pogus. Rather than being derived from the Greek pogos, the name is a reference to the cartoon character Pogo the possum! Who else would be behind this than AA faithful Skip Lazell? Anyone have any other favorite anole scientific names?

A thirsty Anolis cristatellus shares an El President at Cruz Bay, St. John

A thirsty Anolis cristatellus checks out Candee’s El Presidente at Cruz Bay.

Those of us lucky enough to be working in the Dominican Republic know the pleasures of downing an ice-cold El Presidente at the end of a session of fieldwork. Fortunately for us, that pleasure has been extended to the U.S. Virgin Islands, and was recently shared by a little Anolis cristatellus near the ferry landing at Cruz Bay, St. John. The young lady sharing her drink is Candee Ellsworth, Conservation Coordinator at the Toledo Zoo.

Not quite sure what to make of this, so I thought I’d throw it out to the AA readership. Almost a year and a half ago, I wrote several posts about a field expedition to Ecuador to study the phenacosaur, A. orcesi. Recently, the blog Ponderingspawn.com posted this: “Poonam absolutely delighted me with his poem: This poem is inspired by the traalivs of searching for the elusive Phenacosaurus orcesi during a trip to Baeza, Ecuador last summer:The phenacosaur awakens from dreams of juicy prey,The volcano Antisana shines brightly in the day.Perched on a twig, he rests safely assured,“Those silly humans don’t know what they’re looking for!”Skirting the road edges with trucks whizzing by,No lizards in sight, oh! how time doth fly.Binoculars in hand and scanning the brush,The orcesi are hidden in the leaves so lush.The day slips by till the moon rises high,The time for finding an orcesi is nigh.Alack! Alas! A lizard in sight!But it’s only A. fitchii, try as we might.

Ah yes, the elusive Phenacosaurus Orcesi. I know it well, having once made battle with the beast in the depraved depths of an Irish glen (Pheancosaurus can only live in depravity, so therefore the glen must have been depraved, yay logic!). And now two times are nigh, that of Jesus and of finding the elusive (and depraved) Orcesi. Perhaps there is a connection?”

Thoughts, anyone?

An AA reader writes: “Last night I dreamed about you and the anole annals.  You had announced that you were seeking discounts at hotel chains for anole workers and said that you’d arranged a 10% discount for anole workers at Best Westerns.”

Is the truth stranger in fiction? Will the discount really be 20%? We’ll soon be producing the Anole Annals subscriber discount cards. Stay tuned for details.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt4wsmAdEk8

In the 1920’s, there was a dance as popular as the Charleston, but it was about anoles! Admittedly, it was called the “chameleon,” but clearly it was based on pictures of an anole, and you can evaluate the dance moves yourself to decide if they were more anole- or chameleon-like.

Apparently Luke Harmon, who brought this video to AA‘s attention, is an expert at many of the moves involved in the dance.

According to the Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, today is the end day of the Year of Lizard (2012) and the arrival tomorrow of 2013 marks the beginning of the Year of the Snake.

On the lizard’s year, the anoles were present in the poster (with Anolis grahami) and the november month on the Monthly Calendar (with Anolis phyllorhinus). Maybe for next calendar will be present Anolis pseudoophiosaurus.

I recently visited the Boston Institute of Contemporary AnolesArt (ICA) and snapped the following picture. Please accept my apologies for the blurriness and my excuse that this was taken with a camera phone from the ICA’s glass elevator while being shuttled to the art installations on the fourth floor of the museum.

On the level second from the bottom, there’s a lizard with clear diamond back pattern on its back, highly reminiscent of females from Anolis sagrei and several other trunk ground anole species.

I’ve captured a part of an approximately three-story piece of nature-themed art, made mostly from cardboard, bamboo, and paper cut-outs, that featured likenesses of animals from across the animal kingdom. It seems that anoles inspired the piece’s numerous lizard cut-outs. In the picture, you can see a lizard that is clearly not geckoid, the usual suspect in this sort of thing. Rather, it has a head shape and diamond back pattern strikingly reminiscent of a female Anolis sagrei. This was the only picture I was able to acquire yet the other lizards in this art piece also had the characteristic brown anole gestalt.