Anti-predation behavior in Bearded Anoles (Dactyloidae: Anolis, clade Chamaeleolis): A review

Abstract

B earded anoles -anoles in the clade Chamaeleolis (Poe et al. 2017) -are chameleon-like lizards endemic to Cuba that are widely distributed on the island (Rodríguez-Schettino 1999;Rodríguez Schettino et al. 2013). They have heads with a distinctive casque-like structure, relatively short limbs, and semi-prehensile tails. Most of the pertinent literature addresses Linnean alpha taxonomy, new distribution records, and niche modelling, but information concerning natural history is sparse (Henderson and Powell 2009;Rodríguez-Cabrera et al. 2020).Bearded anoles are among the largest anoles in Cuba (177 mm SVL; Garrido and Schwartz 1968). These lizards, classified as twig-giant ecomorphs (Hass et al. 1993;Mahler et al. 2016), usually inhabit forests (Henderson and Powell 2009), where they perch on small-diameter branches (Garrido 1982;Leal and Losos 2000). Anoles are diurnally active, visually-oriented predators (Losos 2009) and, although no studies address this subject for bearded anoles, their welldeveloped eyes suggest that they follow the general pattern. Bearded anoles move slowly and feed on slow-moving prey (e.g., certain insects, their larvae, diplopods, and mollusks;