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

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 Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

. 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 fo ...

and found only on the island of Gorgona, in the

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

n 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 submandibula ...

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 Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

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 and

capuchin 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.

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

Description

Conservation status

See also

References

External links