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The blue anole (''Anolis gorgonae'') falls into the genus Dactyloa, which are all highly arboreal, but differ in size, coloration, and perch preferences. The blue anole specifically occupies higher perches. It is also a small
Both sexes of this anole are overall pure blue, which is very rare in lizards. The male's
World's only pure blue lizard at risk of extinction
{{Taxonbar, from=Q146483 Anoles Reptiles of Colombia Endemic fauna of Colombia Reptiles described in 1905 Taxa named by Thomas Barbour
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of dactyloid lizard. It is near-threatened
A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify f ...
and found only on the island of Gorgona, in the Colombian Pacific.Description
Both sexes of this anole are overall pure blue, which is very rare in lizards. The male's dewlap
A dewlap is a longitudinal flap of skin or similar flesh that hangs beneath the lower jaw or neck of many vertebrates. More loosely, it can be various similar structures in the neck area, such as those caused by a double chin or the submandibul ...
is pure white. At least some individuals have a series of darker mottled spots on the head and neck. The blue anole, is unique among all anoles because of their bright blue color, their size; smaller, and are slimmer than the other Dactyloa. The blue anole is mostly found within an inhabited area on the island, where they were seen to be in open branches of the trees. They also like to be on the trunks of trees.Phillips, Burton, Womack, Pulver, & Nicholson. (2019). Biogeography, Systematics, and Ecomorphology of Pacific Island Anoles. Diversity, 11(9), 141. https://doi.org/10.3390/d11090141
Conservation status
Due to the isolated environment and elusive nature of ''A. gorgonae'', which mostly lives in rainforest high off the ground, it has been difficult to accurately estimate its population. They commonly fall prey to the introduced western basilisk lizards and may also fall prey to introduced rats, cats andcapuchin monkey
The capuchin monkeys () are New World monkeys of the subfamily Cebinae. They are readily identified as the " organ grinder" monkey, and have been used in many movies and television shows. The range of capuchin monkeys includes some tropical fores ...
s. The largest amount of damage to their habitat occurred when a prison was built in the 1950s, but since 1984 the entire island has been a protected national park. It has been proposed that some individuals could be captured for a captive breeding program.
See also
*List of Anolis lizards
The large lizard genus ''Anolis ''contains around 436 accepted anole () species, which have been considered in a number of subgroups, or clades such as ''carolinensis'' and ''isolepis''.
''Nota bene'': In the following list, a taxon authority in ...
*'' Lygodactylus williamsi'', a similar threatened lizard
References
External links
World's only pure blue lizard at risk of extinction
{{Taxonbar, from=Q146483 Anoles Reptiles of Colombia Endemic fauna of Colombia Reptiles described in 1905 Taxa named by Thomas Barbour