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Female anoles do, however, often have a dorsal line down their back. Extension of the dewlap from the throat is used for communication. Males can form a pronounced dorsal ridge behind the head when displaying or when under stress. Females and juveniles have a prominent white stripe running along their spine, a feature most males lack.
In a very small species like the Bahoruco long-snouted anole the home range can be as little is about 1.5 m 2 (16 sq ft) and 2.3 m 2 (25 sq ft) in a female and male, [99] compared to a large species like the knight anole where they average about 630 m 2 (6,800 sq ft) and 650 m 2 (7,000 sq ft). [49]
They have a flattened body and head, slightly compressed tail, pointy snout, short legs, and large toe-pads. Males and females both have a yellow dewlap, a flap of skin hanging below the neck. Male dewlaps are generally larger than female dewlaps. [2] [3] Anolis evermanni on a beach Anolis evermanni with extended dewlap Brown Anolis evermanni
Anolis is a genus of anoles (US: / ə ˈ n oʊ. l i z / ⓘ), iguanian lizards in the family Dactyloidae, native to the Americas.With more than 425 species, [1] it represents the world's most species-rich amniote tetrapod genus, although many of these have been proposed to be moved to other genera, in which case only about 45 Anolis species remain.
The anole family has been found to have enhanced vision for color and depth perception. [7] This family is able to see dewlap coloration from a distance, giving the dewlap use and importance. These dewlaps are usually of a different color from the rest of their body and, when enlarged, make the lizard seem much bigger than it really is.
Female water anoles reach sexual maturity at an earlier age than their male counterparts, and also have a smaller snout-anus length than males do at their sexual maturity. Males have a larger growth rate than females, and they reach a greater body size than females when they are of the same age.
Males and females are both very dark. The dewlap (male only) ranges from very dark gray to black, with the edge being lighter. [3] It is one of two semi-aquatic anoles from the Caribbean, the other being A. vermiculatus of Cuba, and there are a few additional semi-aquatic anoles in Central and South America.
The gular fan, or dewlap, is large in this species and present in both males and females. The dewlap is slotted, so it falls into the general skin of the neck and has much smaller scales than the rest of the body. The limbs are short and have much smaller scales than the dorsal or ventral scales.