Anolis occultus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anolis occultus |
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Anolis
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occultus
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The Puerto Rican twig anole or dwarf anole (Anolis occultus) is a small lizard found only in Puerto Rico. It mostly lives in the Cordillera Central mountain range. This area stretches from the Sierra de Cayey in the southeast to the central-western parts near Maricao.
This anole is usually grey to olive-brown. It is the smallest of the Puerto Rican anoles. It measures about 34–42 mm (1.3–1.7 inches) from its snout to the base of its tail. The A. occultus is very good at hiding. It has a unique mottled (spotty) pattern and special ways of sleeping to avoid predators.
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About This Anole
In Puerto Rico, there are 10 different types of Anolis lizards. All of them are good at climbing trees and bushes. They are active during the day and mostly eat insects.
The Puerto Rican twig anole is smaller than other anoles in Puerto Rico. It also has a smaller, longer head. The scales on its head are tiny. This anole has a special throat fan, called a dewlap. It has few scales on the sides and can be tucked under the skin of its throat. This is unique to this species. Other lizards that look similar include A. fuscoauratus, A. Chloris, and A. maculiventris.
What It Looks Like
The A. occultus is a thin lizard. It has a snout that points downwards and very short legs. This small lizard is only about 1.25 inches long from its snout to the base of its tail. Both male and female A. occultus look the same.
Its tail is rounded and has small, overlapping scales on top. The lizard's color can be white, brown, olive-green, yellowish-green, or dark orange. It has a spotty, camouflaged pattern on its head and body. There are clear bands running from its neck to its tail.
The head is grey with a few dark spots. Its eyelids are a lighter yellow. The sides of its body are yellowish-grey and turn slightly green near its legs. The underside of the lizard is white. It has small speckles on its throat and tail.
This anole can change its color easily. It can become lighter or darker very quickly. It has lines around its eyes. There are also one or two yellow spots at the base of its tail. Its dewlap is pinkish-grey. It folds into an opening on the front of its chest.
Unlike other anoles, A. occultus does not have any large or long scales. The scales on its head and tail are very small and smooth. Its head is narrow and long with oval nostrils. The ears are small and round. They are located far back on its head, behind the corner of its mouth.
The scales along its back are smooth and flat. They are the same size as the scales on its sides. The scales on its belly are a bit larger than those on its sides or back. But they are still smooth and round. The dewlap is big in this species. Both males and females have one. The dewlap is slotted, meaning it fits into the skin of the neck. It has much smaller scales than the rest of the body. Its legs are short and have smaller scales than the body scales. However, the scales on the legs are also smooth.
Where It Lives
The A. occultus mostly lives in trees. It is often found high up in the forest canopies. But it can also be seen in bushes, ferns, and near the edge of the forest. This means it doesn't only stay in the treetops.
This lizard is found only in Puerto Rico. It lives throughout the forests of the Cordillera Central mountain range. This range goes across the middle of Puerto Rico from west to east. These lizards have been found from 65 meters (213 feet) to 1,326 meters (4,350 feet) above sea level. The highest point is a mountain top in this range.
These mountain forest dwellers like to sit on vines and twigs in the forest canopy. They are found from the Sierra de Cayey range in the southeast to the Maricao mountain ranges in the central-west. These lizards prefer open spots in the canopy. They also like narrow paths at the forest edges. They do not like to live in trees or bushes where the canopy is completely closed overhead or on the sides. A. occultus are seen from just above the forest floor up to 4.5 meters (15 feet) high. They perch on twigs and vines.
Its Favorite Spots
A. occultus lives in the outer parts of the mountain forests. It is best described as a species that lives in the treetops. It prefers bare twigs and vines in open areas of the canopy. It will not live in areas where the canopy is closed.
These lizards carefully choose twigs for sleeping. During the day, they prefer thick plants. For sleeping, they don't seem to care if the plants are dead or alive. A. occultus likes dead twigs and vines that are close to openings in the forest canopy. They need a fairly thick bunch of twigs and vines in the canopy. They also need to be close to an opening where they can see the sky. It seems they might also live in clearings at the forest edges, but more research is needed to confirm this.
What It Eats
A. occultus mainly eats insects that are smaller than itself. It is also one of the few anole species that drinks nectar from flowers. This lizard can perch on twigs and vines to drink nectar from the flower buds of the Camasey Almendro plant. It can hold itself steady on these perches by wrapping its tail around nearby twigs.
Its Life and Habits
Family Life
A. occultus is an oviparous lizard. This means it lays eggs, and the young hatch from these eggs later. Male and female anoles are often found sleeping very close to each other. This suggests they might form pair-bonds, like a couple. Scientists think they form these bonds because males and females are found together often. This is surprising because these lizards are not very common compared to other lizards in Puerto Rico. This suggests they might be monogamous, meaning they stay with one partner.
Staying Safe from Danger
Birds, snakes, and spiders hunt A. occultus. This is because the anoles perch high up in the forest canopy. The adult Loggerhead Kingbird is a common predator. It can attack these lizards on branches.
When they sleep, these lizards choose perches that are about a quarter-inch thick or less. They cling tightly to these perches with their hands, feet, and tail. They are more in danger at night because they are high up and less aware. They choose more open sleeping spots in the canopy than usual. This helps them warm up on cool mornings. By doing this, they can be active for more hours during the day. However, this makes them an easy target for birds and spiders.
A. occultus is very good at blending in with the leaves. Its long, thin body helps it look like a twig. Even though they expose themselves more at night, they position themselves to still be hard to spot. To reduce the chance of meeting a predator, this anole uses its camouflage. It also chooses places where predators are less likely to be. While birds hunt less at night, spiders and other arthropods hunt more. So, staying still on a perch is a way to avoid predators.
By lying parallel to its perch, these lizards stay very hidden with their spotty patterns. A. occultus usually sleeps on horizontal twigs. Its mouth faces the outer edge of the twig. The species also picks twigs that are too thin and weak to hold larger predators like snakes. They have been seen choosing higher sleeping spots in the forest canopy at night. This helps them avoid predators. Their choice of sleeping spots is strongly linked to what they do during the day. They tend to sleep in spots that are higher and less stable than their daytime perches. This helps reduce attacks at night.
A. occultus picks specific sleeping spots. They also sleep with their head facing outwards from the perch. This helps them spot approaching predators. Also, the tail of A. occultus is sensitive to vibrations. This explains why they wrap their tails around their perches. Besides staying steady, they can feel the vibrations of approaching predators through their perch. This allows them to escape in time. When caught, these lizards let out a loud scream. This helps to startle the attacking predator.
Protecting This Anole
The A. occultus is listed as "Least Concern" by the IUCN. This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing. This is because it is seen widely across Puerto Rico. It is unlikely that its numbers are dropping. This is also due to protected forests and National Parks.
However, Puerto Rico's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) suggests its status should be "Data Deficient." This means we don't have enough information about its population. More research is needed to know its true numbers. We also need to study threats and habitat changes that could harm this species.
Cutting down forests (deforestation) has been a big problem in Puerto Rico's history. We need to learn more about how climate change and habitat changes might affect this anole. To protect A. occultus well, we need to research how much deforestation is damaging its home.
New buildings in deforested areas are changing its habitat a lot. These changes bring new predators to the edges of urban areas. These new predators include raccoons, pets, and wild cats. They are very harmful to the A. occultus population.
In the 1940s, only 6% of Puerto Rico's forests were left. This was because farming was a huge part of the economy. So, many trees were cut down. Few areas of the island's forests were untouched by humans. After the 1940s, the economy changed. Industry became more important than farming. This allowed the forests to grow back over many years. Scientists say that 42% of the forest has recovered 60 years later.
People moving from rural areas to cities and the growth of industry helped Puerto Rico's forests regrow. But the fast regrowth meant that the types of plants were very different in different areas. New types of plants helped the forests grow back. But this also trapped these lizards in small areas of native plants. They are very picky about the plants they need to choose good perches. They also need to bask in direct sunlight under openings in the canopy.
Populations of A. occultus have remained separated in these native plant patches. They have not been very successful at moving into the new plant areas that grew after farming stopped in Puerto Rico.
See Also
