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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.
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
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.
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.
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]
Many Anolis species have dewlaps [12] that they can extend and retract at will, such as when attracting mates or dueling with competitors. [13] The dewlaps are often colorful but are well hidden when retracted. Some Sceloporus lizards develop vibrant blue and black coloration on their bellies during breeding season. [14]
Compared to many other anoles, it is a stocky, muscular and aggressive, [13] although it is a small (compared to Central American anoles) [14] to moderately-sized species (compared to insular Caribbean anoles). Measurements in 2015 found the animals to have a snout-vent length (SVL) which can reach to 75 mm (3.0 in) in males, and up to 73 mm (2 ...