Tail Spin
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives.
It is the one that is most adaptable to change.
~ Charles Darwin
Look closely and you can see that this Anole has lost part of its tail. The tail is designed to separate from the body when attacked by a predator allowing the Anole to escape while the predator eats the tail. Replacement tails grow back in a few months. The downside of this survival technique is that lizards that loose their tails have a more difficult time establishing or maintaining dominance over a territory and lizards are highly territorial.
Anoles are also capable of changing color based on their mood or surroundings. Often they will turn from green to brown when they are stressed. I'd say loosing one's tail is a good reason for being stressed!
Interesting information and great photo you caught of the little guy. We don't get lizards up here.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Cool capture, Karin!
ReplyDeletewow that is so cool...poor lizard though!
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled upon a tail-less anole myself today. Like yours it had the little dried looking stump...They amaze me the way they have so much personality too. Always ready to pose for a photo.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about the parasitic wasp was interesting. It's such a fine balance out there!
Cute little guy. Animals seem so much more adaptable than we are.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great photo. That was interesting to know that losing a tail gets you loss of respect in the hood. I can just picture that.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting! My oldest 2 children had 2 Anole as pets ... so many years ago, I forgot what happened to them :)
ReplyDeleteThey are so cute! We got such a kick out of them during our trip to New Orleans. And I remember seeing a lot them in Florida, too. Other critters seem to fill their niche up here in the North Country. :)
ReplyDeleteI love watching them puff out their red throats, proclaiming their territory.
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