Anolis polylepis

Many-scaled anole
	Many-scaled anole displaying his yellow dewlap
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Dactyloidae
Genus:	Anolis
Species:	A. polylepis
Binomial name
	Anolis polylepis; Peters, 1874
Synonyms
	Norops polylepis

Anolis polylepis, the many-scaled anole or Golfo-Dulce anole, is a lizard endemic to the Gulf of Dulce area of Costa Rica.

Description

A brown and white speckled lizard with an orange-yellow dewlap, made of erectile cartilage, that extends from their throat. Their toes are covered with structures that allow them to cling to many different surfaces using the van der Waals force. Their tails have the ability to break off at special segments in order to escape predators or fights. The tail itself continues to wriggle strongly for some minutes after detaching. This ability is known as autotomy. The anoles are also diurnal, which means that they are active during the daytime.

Behavior

They are athletic creatures that run fast, and jump many times their length. They can also climb straight up almost any surface at blinding speed. They usually sit downward. Seeing a potential prey they dart down towards it. They display their dewlap and bob their head to attract sexual partners and to mark their territory.^[2] They feed on spiders and insects like cockroaches and mosquitoes.

References

^ Acosta Chaves, V., Batista, A., García Rodríguez, A., Saborío, G., Vargas, J. & Köhler, G. (2020). "Anolis polylepis ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T203115A2760690. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/203115/2760690. Downloaded on 29 March 2021.
^ Savage, Jay M. (2002). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas. Vol. 1. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 473–475. ISBN 0-226-73538-9.

This lizard article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Acosta Chaves, V., Batista, A., García Rodríguez, A., Saborío, G., Vargas, J. & Köhler, G. (2020). "Anolis polylepis ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T203115A2760690. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/203115/2760690. Downloaded on 29 March 2021.

[savage-2] Savage, Jay M. (2002). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas. Vol. 1. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 473–475. ISBN 0-226-73538-9.

[1]

[2]