Discover the riparian reptile that evades danger by blowing bubbles. <\/p>
Anoles are an extremely successful family of lizards, with more than 400 species. They are found throughout the warmer regions of the Americas, almost anywhere you care to look. From urban shrubberies and gardens to wild, tangled, tropical forest, you will find an anole somewhere, hunting insects or sipping nectar from flowers.\u00a0<\/p>
These small lizards are easily overlooked. Many are brown or green, with bands and spangles of contrasting markings, and they are on the slim side, too \u2013 twiggy lizards in a world of twigs. The only time they catch the eye is when the males of some species flash a brightly coloured chin flap, called a dewlap, at each other and potential mates.\u00a0<\/p>
Several species are closely associated with fresh water. The water anole (Anolis aquaticus<\/em>) \u2013 whose name says it all \u2013 is one of these, never straying far from forest streams. Here, it makes an understated living, skittering after insects among a tangle of riparian roots, stems, leaves and rocks.<\/p> Never reaching more than 7cm (excluding the tail), water anoles find themselves on the menu for birds, snakes and mammals \u2013 I\u2019ve even found them tangled in the webs of orb spiders.<\/p> \u00a0Other than lightning agility and exceptional camouflage<\/a>, it turns out that these marvellous little lizards have yet another cunning way of evading capture that has only recently come to light.<\/p>How anoles are able to breathe underwater<\/h2>