That's me on the Spillway Trail at BBSP in 2019. Welcome to my page showcasing lizards! I've gathered enough to start putting them on a separate page. Here they are!
Go back to my home page, Welcome
to rickubis.com
Go
back to the RICKUBISCAM
page.
----------------------------------
That's
me on the Spillway Trail at BBSP in 2019. Welcome to my page showcasing
lizards! I've gathered enough to start putting them
on a separate page. Here they are!
From Russ Pitman Discovery
Center on 07/23/2022 I had some time to
walk around the "park" at Russ Pitman Discovery Center this morning.
Anoles have
been
relatively scarce since the infamous Texas Freeze of February 2021
(especially in my neighborhood). Since then, I've been able to find at
least a few Anoles at Russ Pitman.
There have been a few more Anoles
in my neighborhood, both A. Carolinenis and A. Sagrei (but
ONLY a
few, compared to the dozens I used to see before the freeze).
On
this morning I saw a few lizards scurrying around, but then I noticed
this one on a tree-captured by beams of sunlight that made it through
the leaf cover. I tried to catch the view as
I experienced it-and
these photos turned out best. I feel that it was important that I don't
enhance or manipulate the images much--because the sunlight was bright
enough to shine through
the
lizard! Its tail and legs seemed to glow red--and when it extended its
dewlap; that was radiant, too! Light even appeared in the ear openings!
These images were the best I could get
before the moment had passed.
05/06/2021 I
went back to Russ Pitman Park to try to see a female Eastern Screech in
one of the nest boxes there. I was lucky! She was in the box,
with her head
filling the hole. Her mate, the male, was in the same tree
as before. While
I was there, I also looked for lizards. I didn't see very
many
this time, but here are a few Brown Anoles
(Anolis sagrei) that were
out.
04/20/2021 I've
noticed that there are no lizards in my neighborhood. I have been
looking for them since we had that hard freeze event. I
expected
to see them at least with the return of the
warmer Spring weather. But...I haven't seen ANY.
Many of the plants in my neighborhood were killed by the
cold. Walls that had been covered by creepers
and ivy are bare now. I believe
that if the cold reached in
deeply enough to kill all that cover, then the lizards hiding in it
have also died. Some of the entries on my lizard page
show many images of anoles (mostly Brown
Anoles) that I saw here.
Now, I don't see any while I'm walking my dog, or at any
other
time. Today, I went to Russ Pitman Park to see if I could
find any Anoles there. is
a very small (4 acres)
park in Bellaire, Texas. Even though it
is small, it is filled with wildlife! And, I saw
some Anoles
there--so I know that some have survived somewhere. Here are
some Brown Anoles
(Anolis sagrei)!
One
on that log.
There's
the one on the log, closer.
One
under that log.
There's the one under the log,
closer.
I also found some
Green Anoles!
(Anolis carolinensis)
Here they are!
June 24 2020
(update 08/05/2020) Like
almost everyone these days, I've been staying inside. I have
stopped driving around outside for...recreational purposes.
Even
though I've been
trying to update older material in my domain; I have
taken a few pictures around the neighborhood. So...here we go, from a
couple months ago. Brown Anoles (anolis sagrei)
have overrun
the vicinity. This means that on most pleasant days, I can see them everywhere.
I'll pass 6 or more just by walking to the parking lot. I
noticed this one because it had entered the color
phase (that's what I
call it) where the body is dark, overlayed with patterns of yellow (or
white) spots (as opposed to lines or diamond patterns).
Caught in by
the sun, this male was beautiful!
Judge from the pictures below,
if you will. I always try to capture high-speed video of
anoles
jumping or climbing--but don't succeed very often. I shot video of
this one showing his dewlap,
and then after he moved to another stone,
he leapt towards me. I was actually about 8 feet away and
shooting
by zooming in-so he wasn't actually leaping at me.
I captured his leap, although
he leapt from clarity to blur. I've edited the two clips
together into this video clip.
04/23/2020 Like
almost everyone these days, I've been staying inside. I have
stopped driving around outside
for...recreational purposes. BBSP
is just too far away, AND, entrance protocol
to
the park has changed
dramatically (even for volunteers). So...I haven't been going there.
The parks in the city are generally pretty crowded (when they
are
open)
so I've been staying away
from them, too. Still,
it is possible to have a quiet walk anyway. Today, I walked
around my neighborhood with a camera. I was looking for
anoles
(and whatever else I could find.) Here's
what I found:
The
bright orange dewlap with yellow border helps identify these
as
Brown Anoles. They often cling head-down on trees and other supports.
Look at the gorgeous crest on this one!
Brown
Anoles (Anolis sagrei) don't turn from brown to green (and back again)
like native American Anoles (Anolis carolinensis). But they can change
color somewhat.
Brown
Anoles have distinct patterns, but the patterns seem to be
variable. I found two of the Anoles trying to start
making
little anoles. This is the female after they...finished.
I
found this one under some plants. Unfortunately it ran off when some
people walked by. These turtles were in a
decorative
"fountain". Turtles! All the way down! HA ha ha!
I didn't
notice the odd (bluish?) color until I looked at the photos. I was in
bright
These
all appear to be Red-eared Sliders (Chrysemis scripta).
sunlight at the time, I think the odd skin color represents
"dead" skin the the anole
has started shedding. It almost appears to be...wearing a face mask.
(!!)
08/12/2019 While
at Russ Pitman Park, I was able to film a Green Anole (Anolis
Carolinensis). They are difficult to find. Some of
the
information I've read shows that the introduced Brown
Anoles (or
Cuban Anoles (Anolis Sagrei) are displacing our native species.
The native Green Anoles may adapting to this pressure by
changing
their preferred habitat to a higher elevation.
They are moving to
the higher branches of trees and plants. Hopefully, there is enough
food to support them up there. Along with this apparent move, their
bodies seem to be adapting. At
least one study shows that
anoles
that are living higher have more clinging hairs (called setae) on their
toes than they used to. Setae are very tiny hairlike
structures with the free end flattened.
These are small enough to stick
to objects by molecular attraction (Van der Waals force). A
single seta
doesn't generate very much force. But, anoles have thousands on their
toes--and
these generate enough force to allow the lizards to cling to
various surfaces. Since anoles can't
turn off this attraction,
they have to peel their toes off of surfaces. That is, they pull the
hairs
off in small portions. Their toes curl up as they lift
them. This
video
is a demonstration of this toe curling for release, and straightening
to cling. I filmed it at 480 fps, and it playing 16X slower.
The
image below is a screen grab from the video.
06/15/2019
I was walking in Russ Pitman Park when I noticed movement in a patch of
sunlight on a log about 10 or 15 yards away. When I looked through my
binoculars, I discovered
that two Brown Anoles (Anolis Sagrei) where
fighting. I started shooting through the camera. I didn't catch the
best part of the conflict, but did get some interesting pictures.
Once
again,
I noticed that both combatants had patterns of white dots among
white lines; and this doesn't appear to be their normal pattern.
Examine the images below to see what I am referring
to. I think this might be a "battle
coloration". I also shot a short video that is attached
to this link. The third images below
is a frame-grab from this video. In
that image, the "loser" (it
eventually retreated) is standing with a
rear leg elevated. I don't know if that signals submission, but it is a
noticeable posture. The submissive moved to the back end of the log and
ran off.
8/07/2016 While
walking along the Spillway Trail, I noticed this Skink sunning on a
log. It was about 4 inches long, and about 4 yards away.
Skinks
are usually very
shy,so I snapped some
pictures from that
distance away using as much zoom as I could. I moved on without
disturbing the Skink. After looking at 2 field guides
(Audubon
Society Field Guide to North American
Reptiles and Amphibians; Peterson
Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North
America ), the best I can do is guess that this is a 5-lined Skink
(Eumeces fasciatus).
What I thought was best about this brief
encounter was that the Skink on the log was at a place on the trail
where the water had been about 6 feet deep during most of June. So,
either the Skink
floated on the log during that time...or climbed one of the nearby
trees. In any case, it was there after the
flood.
------------------------------------
7/16/2016 While
outside at the Russ Pitman Discovery Center, I noticed something
light-colored moving in one of the trees about 20 yards away. It seemed
to be moving like a lizard does, so I
carefully walked over-so I
wouldn't scare it-until I could see what was going on. It was a
Brown Anole shedding its skin. I decided to try to take some pictures.
I had trouble focusing my camera
in the contrasting shaded areas for
photos, so I shot more video
than photos, and hoped
to salvage some useful frames from the video. Most of the images here
are cropped from frames
grabbed from 1920 x 1080 video. To avoid
scaring the Anole away, I stayed about 8 feet away and used the optical
zoom--without a tripod. The two images below are from a
single
photo. I
happened to catch the Anole as it was pulling off one of its
"socks"--the molting from one of it's back feet.
---------------------
I
was able to see a large portion of the molting process. The Anole
pulled bits of its old skin off, and ate them. Occasionally, the Anole
extended its dewlap. (As in the RICKUBISCAM picture)
Brown Anoles do
this often, and it's hard to tell if they are always extending a
challenge to whatever lizards might be around...or everything
that might be around. It appeared here that maybe
the Anole was using
it to help flex the *old* skin and tear it.I
was lucky enough to see the Anole pull off one "sock" and one
"glove".
It was interesting to see how it carefully pulled the old skin
off of
its toes. Once it got a good grip, it pulled on the skin ("sock" or
"glove") steadily, and slowly. It took about a minute and a
half
for a single foot to be pulled free of the molted skin. By
contrast,
bits of skin from other parts were pulled off rather quickly. I was
impressed by the patience and care showed by the Anole as it cleared
its toes of the old skin.
LOTS
OF OLD SKIN
SHOWING
ONE "GLOVE"
GRABBING
ONE "SOCK"
PULLING
THE SOCK...
MOST OF THE FOOT IS FREE
STEADY,
SLOW PULL
ALMOST
OFF...ALMOST
JUST
THE TIP IS LEFT
I can think of a
few reasons for the care.
For
one thing, the old skin has to come free of the hundreds of small hairs
on each of the Anole's toe pads. Does the old skin stick the the new
ones on the foot? Or, does the old skin have to
be pulled off of all of the
new hairs (setae)--that is, does each new hair shed a casing? For
another, if the Anole isn't careful, it could tear the old skin, and
leave fragments stuck on its toe
pads, which would impede their
clinging function. Also, how would it get small fragments off its
toes? The hairs stick through molecular attraction. They can't be
"turned off". Anoles unstick
their toe pads from climbing
surfaces by
curling their toes backwards to unstick the hairs a few at a
time.
And another reason--an Anole is probably strong enough to break its
toes. It could
possibly cause injury to itself by hurrying.
TOENAIL MUST BE STUCK
IT'S
FREE!
NOW
WHAT DO I DO WITH IT?
NICE,
INTACT MOLTED FOOT
This
is all guesswork on my part. I haven't found anything that describes
Anole molting in great detail. Brown Anoles (Anolis sagrei) are
considered an invasive species, and as I've mentioned
before; since the
first time I heard of them being in the Houston area, I have seen
them in many places. I see them where I work, I see them where I live.
They are competing with the native
Green Anoles (Anolis Carolinensis)
and seem to be driving them out of their preferred habitat. But,
something interesting might
be happening. The
Green Anoles appear to be migrating *up*!
That is, they
appear to be
adapting to live higher in trees (maybe up to 30 feet)--leaving the
Brown Anoles to the ground, and lower plants. This study: "Rapid
evolution of a native species
following invasion by a congener" Y.
E. Stuart,1*†‡ T. S. Campbell,2* P. A. Hohenlohe,3 R. G. Reynolds,1,4
L. J. Revell,4 J. B. Losos seems to indicate that as time passes (and a
surprisingly
short time...a few years),the Green Anoles' foot-pads
are becoming better-suited for clinging to the larger smooth surfaces
(such as leaves) at the higher altitudes. The Anoles are developing
more clinging surfaces on each toe! So the home team is still
in the game. To
see video of this Anole
molting, click the link here.
CHOMP!
CHOMP!
AND THERE
IT GOES.
CHOMP!
THERE
IT GOES.
BUT
THE JOB ISN'T DONE. MORE
MOLTING TO FINISH.
May 01 2013 (update 07/16/2020) Like
almost everyone these days, I've been staying inside. I have
stopped driving around outside for...recreational purposes.
So I'm catching up on old
material. On
May 01, 2013, I visited Russ Pitman Park. This is an old
house and a small park. I liked to go there because I lived
nearby, and it was a surprisingly good place to find
wildlife-especially
Anoles. I could still find Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis)
there although invasive Brown Anoles (Anolis sagrei) were getting more
common. I saw a number of interesting
things,
but I'll talk about this one. It was a good day to watch
anoles
(I've already posted about 2 different anole species together that day.
I took more pictures with a different camera. I
didn't
realize then how the Brown Anoles would overrun everything. I
found many Green Anoles at the park that day. Here are some that posed
while I took their pictures.
1
Signalling w/dewlap
2 looking around
3 preparing to leap
4 after the leap
5
what's he after down there?
6 A female is there!
7
8
9
10 dominance display?
11
12 He tried to...nip at her.
13
He missed, tried again
14 Finally, he grabbed skin
behind her head.
15 Off for some
safety.
16 But I found them.
May
01 2013
(update 07/05/2020) Like
almost everyone these days, I've been staying inside. I have
stopped driving around outside for...recreational purposes.
So I'm catching up on old
material. On
May 01, 2013, I visited Russ Pitman Discovery Center. This is an old
house and a small park. I liked to go there because I lived
nearby,
and it was a surprisingly good place
to find wildlife-especially
Anoles. I could still find Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis)
there
although invasive Brown Anoles (Anolis sagrei) were getting more
common. I saw a number of
interesting things, but I'll talk about this one. I
noticed a Brown Anole on some railroad ties at the garden. It was
broadcasting (bobbing, flaring dewlap) from that vantage point.
I
looked
around to find out if any other lizards would react or
respond. When I looked back at the broadcaster, I discovered
that he
had a challenger. And...it was a Green Anole! A
different species
was
challenging him! The entire drama took just a few
minutes. I took
photos, and shot video at 30fps high resolution and at 120 fps at 640 x
480. Most of the video was shot in the last
format, and I didn't
think it showed enough. But, software has changed a lot since 2013
(today it's 2020), and I was able to enhance the video. The images
below are from photos, and frame
grabs from the various video clips. I've also edited the
clips together into a single video that
can be seen here.
First
8 pictures: The first display, and the appearance of the challenger.
Note that the challenger has lighter color and a longer skull
than the
original Brown. Also, that fiery red dewlap helps
identify a Brown Anole.
1
5/01/2013
2 5/01/2013
3
5/01/2013
4 5/01/2013
9
5/01/2013
10 5/01/2013
11 5/01/2013
12 5/01/2013
Last 4 pictures: The Brown
had challenged the Green (image 12 above right).
The Green answered, and finally showed its dewlap. Green
Anoles have a pink dewlap. This one seemed
to
be deformed. Usually it has a more expanded shape. The Green
moved
towards the Brown . They both rested a bit, and then
challenged again.
The Green finally retreated into
into the foliage. Once again: I've edited the clips
together into a single video that
can be seen here.
14
5/01/2013
15
5/01/2013
16 5/01/2013
17
5/01/2013
I
have reqd-in a number of sources-that Brown Anoles are driving the
Green Anoles out of their original homes. I've read that some of this
is due to competition for food, and possibly
the young Greens being
eaten by the Browns. At least one study indicates that this
environmental pressure is driving the Green Anoles up so that
they are living in higher branches.
This
is also possibly driving physiological adaptations in the Green
Anoles--such as wider toe pads with more setae...the very tiny hairlike
structures that allow them to cling to smooth
surfaces. I haven't
seen anything written about actual physical confrontation between them.
It's interesting to think that they might be competing for
mating
territory, also.
October 03, 2012 (added 9/25/2014) During
another
visit to Russ Pitman Discovery Center, I found more Brown Anoles. The
three images below show some close images of a Brown
Anole (A.
Sagrei).
--
--
-
IThe 2 images below are frame grabs from short video clip of 2 Anoles fighting. The edited video clip can be seen here(wmv) or here (mp4).
--
August 03, 2012 (added 9/20/2014) I
have found that Brown Anoles are all around Houston. During a
visit to Russ Pitman Discovery Center, I noticed both Brown and Green
Anoles. The two
images below show the striking orange and yellow dewlap
of the Brown Anole (A. Sagrei).
--
-
IThe 2 images below are frame grabs from short video clips of each type of Anole jumping. The edited video clip can be seen here(wmv) or here (mp4).
--
October 17, 2010 (added 8/29/2014) I
was able to take another macro video of a Green Anole on a metal frame.
This is another view of the "toe curling" that Anoles use to pull the
tiny setae off
of a surface in small increments--which allows them to
lift their feet. The molecular attraction is always "on"; but
individual hairs have very little strength. The first group
of 14
images below are frame
grabs from the video clips. This shows the
sequence of the lizard lifting its foot, then re-seating it. The edited
video clip can be seen here
(mp4).
--
-
--
--
-
--
--
-
--
--
-
-The images below are photos taken at the same time, and I enjoyed the view.
--
-
-
October 10, 2010 While
at BBSP during the evening,
I checked the retroom building at Elm Lake. I was looking for
whatever might be crawling on the walls in the dark. I found
a Mediterranean House Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) hunting
at the top corner of the wall. I used a flashlight, and tried
to
catch high-framerate video of it as it hunted. I did
get some movement. The image below is a frame-grab from the
video clip linked
here (mp4) (wmv)
September 5, 2010 One
definition of Van Der Waals force is a weak attraction between
molecules.
An example of this is condensation of water vapor into liquid. If the
water
molecules weren't
attracted to each other, condensation wouldn't
happen.
Very small objects are subject to this kind of attraction.
Suppose
you could make are really, really thin hair (averaging about
108nm
(nanometers)
in diameter) and have it flattened and widened to about 250nm at the
end--so
that the end resembled a spatula. If you laid the "spatula" flat
against
a surface then that flat wide end
would be subject to Van Der Waals
force
attraction. What you would have is called a "spatular hair" or
sometimes
a single "seta". For comparison, a single human hair is about 75000
nanometers
thick. So, these are really, REALLY thin hairs and really small
spatulas.
So,
if you laid the seta flat, it would stick; but not very strongly. To
stop
it from sticking, you could just tilt it so the flat wasn't
making
contact
any more. Now imagine that instead of just *one* seta, you were a
creature that had over a million (as many a billion in some species) of
these
covering
pads on the bottoms of
your toes. Geckos have these on their toes, and
so do Anoles. The Geckos have branching bundles of these setae, with a
thicker "trunk" of splitting into branches, with split into clumps of
single
hairs. Anoles have a simpler arrangement, with less branching and a
lesser
density of spatular hairs. Both lizards use these hairs to cling to
surfaces.
The amount of cling depends on the number
of hairs that are laid with
"spatulas"
flat contacting a surface. A few hairs touching something irregular
(like
a speck of dust), would not cause enough adhesion for the dust to
stick.
But if a large
percentage of the spatulas make contact, then the
adhesion
can be strong. But, this attraction can't be "turned off". More hairs
will
cause more stick. So for a Gecko, or an Anole the effect is as
if their
feet are the hooked half of a Velcro adhesive set; and the entire world
is the material that the hooks will grab on to. They could potentially
stick to everything. How can they walk anywhere at
all without
remaining
stuck?
If
you
have a mated piece of Velcro, how would do you undo
it? You'd peel
it apart by starting with an edge. By peeling, you are breaking the
connection
of a few hooks
at a time, and eventually the pieces separate. The
adhesion of a spatular hair can be interrupted by tilting it. And using
the
model
of the Velcro, it seems that if a mass of setae are stuck to a
surface,
then it could be taken back off by peeling it, by tilting--and
therefore
releasing--smaller numbers of hairs at a time. And that's EXACTLY what
the lizards do. When they want to move, they
peel their toes off of
surfaces
by curling them backwards. I saw a rather macabre side-effect of this
once
when I found a dead Mediterranean Gecko hanging on one of the
buildings
where I work.
It was dead, but it was still sticking onto the wall by
two
of its feet (one front foot and the opposite back foot). The spatular
hairs
were still sticking even though the Gecko was dead because they
had not
been "peeled" off the wall. The body was arched backwards, and looked
like
it should have fallen--but it remained there for a number of days.
I
had
just rigged a way to use a macro lens
with my Casio camera, and I was
testing
it on 09/12/2010. While I was looking for subjects, I found a small
Green
Anole on one of the plants by the Nature Center at BBSP.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
-
I
experimented
by filming the Anole, and moving in and out of focus by moving the
camera.
I was concentrating on the Anole's head, but caught other parts as it
moved.
I was filming video at 210
fps. When I reviewed the video, I watched as
the foot that rested on one of the leaf curled the toes
backwards before
lifting it! I was extremely excited by this, as I'd been
researching
online about
the foot adhesion of various creatures for a year or so
and
I immediately recognized what I'd seen. A few weeks later, I
finally
found
a few more Anoles at Russ Pittman Discovery Center, and
was able to
shoot
some more clips. I'm very happy with this. I suppose I could buy or
capture
some lizards to film, but I prefer filming them outside in the wild.
The
images on this page are from
the edited video
clip (mp4), and the links to the video is
under the pictures.
------
--
-
--
------
--
-
-----------
----Anole
toe curling video clip (mp4)
Below
are some articles that explain the concept in detail as it applies to
lizards.
Spiders, some insects, and a few other species of lizards also use
spatular
hairs to cling to their envrionment.
Some of these are quite technical,
and I don't understand everything in them, but I can still use them for
information. I was able to find them on the internet, most of them for
free. There are many
other articles.
"Characterization of the Structure and composition of gecko adhesive setae" --N.W. Rizzo, K.H. Gardner, D.J. Walls, N.M. Keiper-Hrynko, T.S. Ganzke and D.L. Hallahan
"Adhesion
and friction in gecko toe attachment and detachment"
Yu
Tian,
Noshir Pesika, Hongbo Zeng, Kenny Rosenberg, Boxin Zhao, Patricia
McGuiggan,
Kellar Autumn, and Jacob Israelachvili
"Characterization of the Structure and composition of gecko adhesive setae" --N.W. Rizzo, K.H. Gardner, D.J. Walls, N.M. Keiper-Hrynko, T.S. Ganzke and D.L. Hallahan
"Integrative biology of sticky feet in geckos" Eric R. Pianka* and Samuel S. Sweet
"Dynamics
of geckos running vertically"
K.
Autumn,
S. T. Hsieh, D. M. Dudek, J. Chen, C. Chitaphan and R. J. Full
"A
comparative
analysis of clinging ability among pad-bearing lizards"
DUNCAN
J. IRSCHICK, CHRISTOPHER C. AUSTIN, KEN PETREN, ROBERT N. FISHER,
JONATHAN
B. LOSOS1 AND OLAF ELLERS
08/12/2010 (added 8/15/2014)--
In the years since my first encounter with the Brown Anoles (see
below--08/07/2004) I have found that Brown Anoles (anolis Sagrei) could
be found in various
places around Houston. I'd heard that
they
could be found at Mercer Aboretum, so I drove up there to find them.
Yes, they were everywhere! In fact, just about any small creature
scurrying
around at the Arboretum was a Brown Anole. Here are some
pictures of of few of them. While watching them running around, I
noticed that they did alter their skin coloring, going from
very
dark
brown to a light greenish-brown, although they kept their patterning
throughout. I also captured high-speed video of one of these lizards
showing its dewlap for mating/territorial display,
and
jumping. The
last image below (with the black border) is a frame from the
video. It was edited slightly to make it shorter.
The click
this link
to see the clip (wmv).
-
-
-
WITH
THE DARKER BROWN--
----
A BIT LIGHTTER PATTERNING-
- LOOKING FOR OTHER
LIZARDS---
-
-
THE ORANGE DEWLAP--
---IT'S
WATCHING ME
05/10/2009--
I was watching a Green Anole in one of the bushes at the VC at BBSP. I
was hoping to try out a new pocket camera, a Casio EX-FC100 and catch
it
in mid leap. It was
well-covered by leaves, though, so I missed its
attack
on a katydid. So, I decided to experiment with the camera, shooting
photos
at different settings, and shooting some high-framerate
video.
I
saw some interesting things. Today's RICKUBISCAM is cropped from a
photo
I shot of the Anole's head from about 2 feet away. I shot everything
far
enough away to avoid alarming the
Anole. The images below are cropped
from
photos, or from single frames of the video clips.
Like
its larger cousin, the American Alligator, if a Green Anole catches
large
prey, it has to do
something to process it so the Anole can have a
meal.
Like its larger cousin, the Anole uses its teeth and jaw pressure, to
weaken
the carcass so it can be broken up (to compare with an
Alligator, check
lower on this page).
-
-
-
ANOLE
WITH KATYDID--
----CHECKING
THE SURROUNDINGS-
-THE
TEETH ARE VISIBLE---
-
-
CLOSER
LOOK AT THE TEETH--
---IT'S
WATCHING ME
This Anole moved onto a more substantial surface--a metal garden post. It began to press the katydid against the unyielding surface of the post.
-
-
-
ANOLE
ON THE POST----
--ON
THE POST, CLOSER VIEW--
-PRESS
THE KATYDID AGAINST THE POST.
Anoles
can catch, and later manipulate their prey with their tongue, which has
adhesive properties. Using the tongue this way is called "lingual
prehension".
The four photos below show how
the Anole used its tongue to pull the
katydid
further into the jaws. I've read that using the tongue this way is a
trait
of "older" species of lizards. In more recent developments, this
behavior
has
been lost, and this frees the tongue to be used as a sensory organ
instead. So, it has become forked and is used as a taste/smell organ in
those species of lizards (like the Komodo Dragon).
-
-
-
-
KATYDID
CLAMPED IN JAWS-----
---JAWS
ARE OPEN!---
----TONGUE
PULLS IN KATYDID---
--
JAWS CLAMP AGAIN
After
a number of sessions of clamping, etc, the Anole shook the carcass.
Where
an Alligator will do a single sling, and attempt to "whip crack" a
carcass,
the Anole's face was a blur as it
moved. I filmed the shaking at 210
frames
per second, and it was still hard to make out. Of course, the Anole's
head
(and prey) is much smaller and therefore lighter than an Alligator's.
When
I watched the video, I got the impression that the tip of the Anole's
snout
makes a figure-eight as it shakes. As shown in the pictures below
(about
one cycle of a shaking bout), the Anole also
twists its head as it
shakes
the carcass. Note that we alternate views of the top of its
head
with views of the bottom of its lower jaw as the Anole's head
moves.
After a bout of shaking, the
Anole would continue jaw squeezing, and
then
pressing the Katydid against the post.
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
Finally, the katydid broke. I decided to leave then, to let the Anole eat undisturbed.
-
I put
together a short video using these photos and edited portions of the
clips
I shot of this Anole. To see it, click on this link
(wmv 28mb).
01/10/2007---January...still
"wintertime". I was opening my apartment door when I saw this little
female
off to my left. She's a brown Green Anole. The females have
shorter
snout, and the
light-colored line along the back. I was very happy to
see
this visitor. The RICKUBISCAM image was shot with a flash, backlighting
everything very nicely. The image below was taken without
the
flash.
I'm always happy to see these neighbors of mine.
-
--
--
WONDERFUL
SUN FLASH!------------
--WONDERFUL
SUN!
August
07, 2004The
first image below (KING OF THE POST) shows something that is a rare
sight
in Texas, and Houston. It's a small lizard, about 6 inches long. At
first
glance it seems to
resemble the little brown or green lizards that
people
here in Houston see almost everywhere, the Green Anole (Anolis
Carolinensis).
People often call them "chameleons" because they can
change from brown
to green and back again.
However,
this is NOT a Green Anole. It's a Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei)!
According
to both my Audubon Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians
(tenth
printing);
and my Peterson's Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and
Central America (Second Edition); these anoles are only found in
Florida.
The lizards I
photographed are out running loose, in what must be an
established
colony here in Houston!
Here's
a brief version of how I happened to be able to see these lizards. I'm
going to be deliberately
vague, to avoid any bother to the people who
were
nice enough make it possible for me to see these; and who were kind
enough
to let me walk around their yard and take pictures. (YOU know
who you
are.
:-) Thanks again. ) Take a look at the following images..
-
-
KING OF THE
POST!
ON ROUGH
BARK
ON SMOOTH
BARK
-
-
HEAD
CLOSEUP
SKULKING THROUGH
THE GRASS
About
a year ago, a friend of the park, Helen Davis, mentioned that
she'd
found some Brown Anoles in her backyard. This was some good spotting
(sharp
eyes, Helen!), and there was video
footage taken. There was no chance
of
mistaken identity.
Just
about a week or two ago, I happened to see Helen, and asked about the
Brown
Anoles. She hadn't seen them in her yard. About a
week later,
I got
email and some pictures from Helen. While walking the neighborhood she
saw The Brown Anoles had appeared again, but about four blocks away, on
a tree. She took more video
footage, and of course, the digital
pictures.
I asked a lot of questions, and found out where it was. Helen was kind
enough to mention me to the homeowners. I called them, and went to
their
house
on Sunday. The people who lived there were *very* nice; and
mentioned
casually that they saw these lizards in their backyard often. I walked
back hopefully. I saw one very small Brown Anole on a
flowerpot. Then
one
of the homewners came out, and began talking to me about the lizards,
and
showing me where they'd been seen.
Folks...I
wish *everyone* had the attitude that these people
have towards their
reptilian
neighbors. They talked about worrying about the lizards as
they ran
through the grass (one of the characteristics of the Brown Anole is
that
it prefers to hide on the
ground when threatened, instead of in trees
like
the Green Anole); and various other little things that showed that they
appreciated their lizard neighbors---and that was before they knew that
these
were uncommon! VERY cool folks!
Anyway,
as I was shown around, the Brown Anoles became more evident. I could
have
sat in that yard for hours, but kept my visit as short as I could;
about
45
minutes. (These people were kind enough to allow me to come to their
house, and not only allowed me to take pictures of the lizards, but
HELPED
ME FIND THEM! Thanks again, by the way.)(I'm
hoping they'll come by and
visit my website, and so can see this.)
So...in
this 45 minutes or so, I saw at least 12 Brown
Anoles. I saw large
males, large females, small ones, *really* small ones
with red
heads...males
displaying...a brief interaction with a male Green and a male
Brown...OH,
IT WAS GREAT!
Below
are more of the pictures.
I
was
a bit confused about identifying gender.
In the Green Anoles,
the
males seem to have a longer snout, and generally broader head than the
females. In Brown Anoles, the male (which shows the throat fan) has a
shorter
snout. However, if
I understand the guidebooks correctly, the male has
the regular patterning on the back (it looks to me like "X's" or
hourglasses
side by side); while the female has light coloration with
"scalloped"
edges.
The Brown Anole throat fan is bright orange, with a yellow or white
edge;
while the Green Anole fan is pink with no outline.
I took a
good number of pictures, but some of these anoles
moved so quickly that
it was hard to focus on them. I also didn't get any pictures of the
little
red-headed ones.
The
image below (DEWLAP DISPLAY) is a frame from a short video of a
male
displaying;
but without bobbing his body.
-
-
FEMALE BROWN ANOLE
MALE EXTENDS
THROAT FAN
THROAT FAN
CLOSEUP
-
MALE
FROMTOP (640X480)
DEWLAP DISPLAY VIDEO
201KB
Anyway...there
is NO way that these are Green Anoles. And there is a good-sized colony
of these Brown Anoles established in at least one back yard; and
there's
no reason that I can think of for
them to be confined to that single
yard.
Also, they were sighted last year about 4 blocks away! From
what
I've seen (in only 45 minutes...HA!) the Green Anoles are still around.
Also, if I can believe
the guidebooks, the Green Anoles are far more
widespread,
and probably not threatened by the Brown Anoles. They *do* have
somewhat
different habits. So... I think this is REALLY cool. Thanks
again
to Helen for mentioning these anoles, and for speaking on my behalf to
the other homeowners!
June
27,2004 One other
thing. One of the times
I walked into the VC/NC at the park, I saw Ken and Nicole watching
something
outside the side door. When I walked over, I saw a Green Anole. I've
mentioned
before that I'll always have a certain affection for these lizards,
because
of the hours I'd spent watching the ones I had as pets when I was
younger.
This
Anole was in full "battle dress".
That is, he was in full territorial
aggression
pose. When I first saw him, he was standing stiffly with legs under the
body lifting it straight out, and his body seemed to be flattened from
side to side.
His crest was fully extended and the skin behind his eyes
had turned black. I've seen males display like this to one another
before
fighting. While I watched him, I carefully looked outside for the other
male, and then I realized that there wasn't one. He was getting tough
with
his reflection in the window! I quickly went out the front door, and
went
around to get some pictures, and a few video clips.
Here they are.
-
-
--
ARE
YOU LOOKING AT ME?
AGGRESSIVE
FACE
COME OUT AND
FIGHT!
-
-
BETTER BACK
OFF!
IF I
COULD
GET IN THERE....
First,
he's broken off the confrontation (ARE YOU LOOKING, above), and is
still
checking out his "opponent". Next, is a cropped closeup
showing his
face (AGGRESSIVE FACE, above). Look at that
extended crest, and the
black
patches behind the eyes--just like the lizard in front of him (ha!).
Later,
he actually tried to get into the
window (COME OUT
AND FIGHT!, above).
The last two images are
frames from two video clips. BETTER BACK OFF,
above,
shows him in the
clip (888kb)
as he does another bobbing display and shows his red dewlap (the pouch
under the lower jaw). Watch as he
looks in at the "other lizard", then
finally backs off. When he did, he walked over and encountered the
other
window! Then, his crest stood up again when he saw his reflection
again,
and he tried to get
into the window. (See IF I COULD..., above) from the
clip (918kb) that shows him trying to get into the window a
few times.
I stayed back a distance so that he wouldn't see my
reflection in
the window
and get distracted.
September
21, 2003Well,
we've been getting some rain. The park certainly needed it.
Unfortunately,
it prevented me from getting the material I wanted to use this week. I
was able to capture a Golden
Silk Spider, and attempted to photograph
it,
but that didn't turn out well at all, although I did get some
interesting
video clips of it crawling around my hands. While I was out in the
rain,
I saw a number of
alligators, and a number of wading birds and also
surprised
three deer by the water station on the Elm Lake trail. But, since it
was
raining, I didn't get many pictures.
Yesterday
wasn't exceptionally
bright either, and as I left my apartment that
morning,
I looked to my left, and saw the tip of an Anole's nose sticking down
from
the shingles on the exterior trim. I went around to the side, and was
so
amused by what I saw that I snapped a picture of it (see HEADS DOWN!,
below).
It seemed like this little guy was *really* trying to come up with a
good
reason why he should bother going out at all. I
watched the little nose
poke out...and then it would slowly back inside...and then slowly inch
back out and then...go back in. Pretty funny. I guess it
isn't a
surprise that out of the two of us, he was the one
smart enough to stay
in out of the rain.
--------------------
-----------------------------
HEADS DOWN!
February
16-17, 2003I
encountered some more Anole antics. I stopped by the water
station
to see what was in there. This is the same spot where I saw the Anole
tangled
in the spider's web, and
where I'd encountered one at other times since
the cold weather. I opened the door, and saw this male (I assume it's
male
because of its size, and proportion of head to body. What I assume are
females
are a bit smaller, with a smaller head proportionate to body
size,
and seem to have light coloration along the spine. These are purely my
own judgement, and I haven't verified these observations with any
authority.)
This male looked at me while I took his picture (OH, IT'S YOU AGAIN,
below).
There was a female, also; but she scampered underneath that white
plastic
cupholder. The male slithered under
the cupholder, also (see HEY! THIS
IS *MY* SPOT, below).( His tail is pointing straight up, and hers is
pointing
straight down.) As I tried to see under the cup
without disturbing
it, the male Anole stuck his
nose out from under the cup, and peeked
out
at me (see WHEW, LIZARD BREATH!, below)( His nose is at the top of the
cupholder, where his tail had been.). I carefully closed and
locked
the station, and
walked the trail for a while. I returned after an hour
or so, and slowly opened the door and peeked in again. What I saw
indicated,
I thought, that the two anoles might have been on their honeymoon.
(see
WAIT. I *LIKE* LIZARD BREATH, below). Now, what is
interesting to
me is this: If these are the same anoles that have been there all
winter,
does this mean that they have "bonded" and that these females
(I've
seen
up to 3 in there) are with this male (if it's the same male)?
Or,
is this just a coincidental gathering, due to the shelter afforded by
the
shelter of the water station? It *is* interesting seeing that
this
limited
shelter, which makes for an enclosed air space, seems to attract Anoles
for the cold weather.
--
-
-
OH, IT'S *YOU*
AGAIN.
HEY! THIS IS *MY*
SPOT!
PHEW, LIZARD
BREATH!
WAIT,
I *LIKE* LIZARD BREATH!
December
15, 2002Today
was, among other things-- Anole Sunbathing Day,
evidently, judging
by the number of Green Anoles (Anolis Carolensis) that I saw. As I
walked
along the Spillway Trail, it seemed
like almost every tree had
at least
one anole sunbathing on it.
-
-
WHAT?
GO AWAY!
THREE ON A TREE
THREE
ON TREE 640
I
took
a number of pictures of these Anoles. I've always had a soft spot for
these
lizards since having them as pets while I was young. One good
picture
appears here (WHAT? GO AWAY, above). As just one
example of how
plentiful
they were, I got this picture of three together (THREE ON A TREE,
above--click
on the 640 link to see it even larger).
December
08, 2002It's
been kind of cool lately. Today, it was around 50 degrees F at the
park.
After having poor luck trying to do a minor PC upgrade in the Nature
Center,
I was finally able to walk around
Elm Lake and the Spillway Trail
around
2 PM. While on the Spillway Trail, I found two Nephila Clavipes (Golden
Silk) spiders in webs. These two webs were right next to each other
(about
12 inches apart).
I didn't walk the entire trail, but those were the
only
ones I saw.
While
on the trail, I decided to look into one of the water
stations. This
water station was the home for the Dolomedes Tenebrosus spider
that
I've
shown here before. When I opened the door and looked in, what I saw is
the subject of the picture below (see HANGING).
Hanging
by his tail ( I assume it was a male, mostly because of size) was
a
Green
Anole (Anolis Carolensis). The Green Anole, like many
lizards, is
equipped with a "breakaway tail", which breaks off easily to help the
Anole
escape from predators. So, the fact that he was hanging
by his tail was
surprising. However, not only was he hanging by his tail, but
he
was hanging by his tail from a spider's web! Don't
ask *me* how
he got in this mess. He didn't appear very happy about it himself.
---
--
-
---
-----------
------
HANGING
A LIZARD?
-----------
-
WHO COULD RESIST? ---------
------
MASTER BUILDER--------
In
most
situations, I leave the animals and plants I encounter as I
found
them, intending for nature to take its course. But, this time it just
didn't
seem fair. Looking at the Anole's face (see WHO COULD
RESIST?
, above),
and seeing how the spider who had apparently made the web was not even
a half mouthful for this lizard (see THE MASTER BUILDER, above), I
decided
to help this guy out. After all, the weather was
getting sort of cool,
anyway, and the Anole needed to find shelter.
The
following three links are for some short clips I took with the C-700
and
a little flashlight that I usually have with me.
-
--
---
-----------
----
---THAT'S
IT, I WON'T HURT YOU.
------
MAN, THIS WEB
IS TOUGH! -------
-----
WHEW!, SAVED!
I
moved
slowly, so I wouldn't alarm him, and as I moved my hand closer, the
Anole
grabbed it (see THAT'S IT, above, or this clip1(462
kb)
. He walked down my hand, and
I slowly began pulling away from the
web. However, he was stuck worse
than
I thought (I was trying not to damage the web too much), and I
carefully
helped him pull with his tail. I didn't want to leave it squirming in
the
web. With the cold weather
so close, I didn't think the Anole could
spare
the energy necessary to heal and regenerate his tail. (see THIS WEB IS
TOUGH, above, or this clip2(468
kb)
. Finally, we got free, and he climbed down my palm to
my wrist, where
he rested--probably enjoying the warmth of my skin. I tried to pinch of
a bit of webbing that was still caught on the tip of his tail, and this
made him run up my arm. This looks like I'm doing some
kind of magic
trick.
(see WHEW!, above, or this clip3(197
kb) . He ran
up my arm to somewhere on
my back. I put my lenses and camera away, and he finally reappeared on
my shoulder, from which he moved
back to the door of the water station,
and moved back inside. I hope he makes it through the winter.
REMEMBER,
I AM A VOLUNTEER AT BRAZOS BEND STATE PARK. AS SUCH, I'M AUTHORISED TO
HANDLE LIVING THINGS AT THE PARK. BOTHERING, FEEDING, OR
OTHERWISE
INTERFERING WITH THE ANIMALS AT THE PARK IS PROHIBITED.
PLEASE LEAVE
WHAT YOU FIND AT THE PARK ALONE SO THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAN ALSO ENJOY IT.
---------------------------------------------
-
HEY!,
I'M ORDERING, HERE!
July
20, 2002 I
was on my way home from Brazos
Bend State Park, when I decided to stop at a Burger King. As I was
coming
up to the drive-in window, I saw this anole sitting on the window sill.
As I sat
in line, he seemed to be looking inside for something. (HEY!
I'M
ORDERING, HERE!, above)
June
30, 2002 It
had been raining all weekend.
Not steadily, but enough to make things wet and the air close and
sticky.
I witnessed some alligator behavior (recorded elsewhere).
Then,
I wandered down Pilant Slough, and on the long wooden bridge, I scared
up a good-sized skink (I'm not sure of the exact species. At least, I'm
pretty sure it's a skink. I'll be checking this.).
(See SKINK,
below.)They
move very quickly and are quite shy. This makes them hard to
photograph.
Well, for me, anyway. This poor creature
frantically skittered back
and forth across the bridge (and I
hadn't even gotten there yet) as it
tried to find a hiding place. I felt bad that it was so
scared, but
it was pretty comical to watch. Then, the skink seemed to suddenly
realize
that it could go between the
boards, and it did. I
had stopped on
the bridge to watch a Robber Fly, and when I turned around, the skink
had
popped out, so I snapped this picture.
---------------------------------------------------
--------------
THE
SKINK
----------------------------------------------------
GECKO
June
02, 2002 I
decided to post this
picture of a Mediterranean gecko (GECKO, above)I encountered
at the
front door of my apartment just last week.
It was nice enough
to visit, after all.
Since we're on the subject of these
geckos (which
are not native to the US, but were introduced in the early 1900's, and
they've spread everywhere. Well, everywhere South.), has
anyone
else
noticed that they turn very light colored at night? Almost
whitish-pink.
The skin, during the day, resembles bark in color and texture, but at
night,
it gets almost translucent white or pink.
Is there a purpose to this?
I've
noticed that they may blend in with bricks while their skin this color,
but otherwise, I don't know why they'd do this. The gecko in my picture
was originally this
lighter color. I went inside, got my camera, and
came
out with a flashlight. He'd already started getting darker when I
shined
the flashlight on him (so I could focus the camera, and use
the
flash).
The lighter pigmentation of the skin can be seen around the darker
spots.
February
10, 2002 It
was a mite nippy out
at the park today. Temperature had dropped to about 50
degrees (it
was almost 70 yesterday!) and with the strong breeze, the
perceived
temperature
due to wind chill was around 38 degrees. I was tying bundles of wood
for
the campsites when I found this little anole (green
anole, below). I
relocated him to a larger
woodpile,
where hopefully he was able to find shelter again. My finger
was a lot warmer than the air, and he was reluctant to leave the heat.
-
-
-
-
------------------------GREEN
ANOLE 1------------------
--------------------------
GREEN ANOLE 2-----------------------
------------------
GREEN ANOLE 3-----------------------
---------------------
GREEN ANOLE
4
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