Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei)

A water anole (Anolis aquaticus) in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Florida Wildlife; vol. 25, no. 10. March 1972. Cover illustration by Wallace Hughes.

Oh hell YES and also imagine if they did the thing where they make significant eye contact with you while aggressively doing pushups…

Today's animal of the day is the Water Anole (Anolis aquaticus)!

Photo credit: Mason Salem

This species of lizard can be found from southwestern Costa Rica to southwestern Panama. As their name suggests, this species is unique amongst the anole family due to its semi-aquatic behavior. Water anoles are somewhat slower than other anole species, so instead of running away or climbing a tree to escape predators, they book it to the nearest body of water and dive in! They are able to create a little air bubble by exhaling through their nostril and will hold it on their heads to use as a little scuba tank. Their hydrophobic skin causes the bubble to stick to the anole's head, and they typically have enough oxygen inside to last them around 15 to 16 minutes, which is usually enough time for the predator to lose interest and wander off.

Photo credit: Lindsey Swierk

Of course, the anoles still need to hold their breath in order to make their bubbles last the full 16 minutes. However, scientists think that they are also able to use the bubbles as a way to get rid of waste carbon dioxide in their bodies since carbon dioxide is highly soluble in water and the pressure inside the bubble is higher than the surrounding water, the carbon dioxide dissolves outside of the bubble, allowing the anole to stay under for longer. However, this system isn't perfect, and these anoles often exhibit signs of hypoxia (which is when parts of the body are deprived of oxygen for extended periods of time) when they are forced to stay underwater for more than a few minutes at a time.

Photo credit: Lindsey Swierk

Because water anoles rely so much on water, both as a way to escape predators and for food since their diet consists mostly of aquatic insects, they want to be as close to the water as possible at all times. This puts basking spots closest to the water, such as rocks and tree branches, in super high demand, and usually these spots are taken up by the largest and oldest males, while the smaller, younger males have to live in more exposed areas. Males will often fight each other over the best basking spots close to the river, and, like other anoles, have a little dewlap on their chins that they puff out to intimidate rivals and attract mates. Adult females usually co-exist fine with the larger males and are allowed to hang out in the best spots by the water with lots of cover. However, they will only tolerate at most two other females within their territory before they become aggressive.

Photo credit: J.D. Willson