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friend: hey you keep fish right

me: yes why

friend: *sends this with no explanation*

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Idk how I hadn't seen this yet, BUT

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what?

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why are we so human-centric tbh. like. literally lizards exist?? but yeah ok human this human that

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If I’m really lucky I’ll get to be just like her one day. Fingers crossed.

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I want to talk to you about Anoles.

“Anoles you say? Those little lizards that run around Florida and you can buy for a few bucks at the pet store?”

NO

Well, not those anoles. But reptiles in the genus Anolis. Anolis is a genus with arguably over 400 species in it. I say arguably because honestly a lot of species were thrown in there until they could be studied more in-depth. Which happens with a lot of genera, actually. Over time things are separated into more accurate genera or sub-species.

The anoles you see in the store are usually Green Anoles (aka a lot of things like Carolina Anole) and Brown Anoles.

Female green anole. (x)

Male brown anole. (x)

Are these guys cool?

Yes!

Are they small and easy to manage/breed?

Yes!

Are they the most interesting anoles?

Maybe not!

After having the pleasure of caring for Anolis equestris (Knight Anoles) I was opened up to a whole world of these guys.

Much larger than your average anole!! But just as sassy.

So I’m just going to show off some of the lesser known but still really cool species. Honestly, I would love to breed them someday because many are threatened by habitat loss. Having a stable population in captivity would at least help preserve them.

Anolis chamaeleonides (Short Bearded Anole) Love that head shape. There are five species in this… group? Of chamaeleolis anoles. All are cool, native to Cuba, and large (about 13″ head to tail).

(x)

Anolis cuvieri (Cuiver’s Anole) Check out the cool tail “fin”! These guys are the only “giant” species of anole native to Puerto Rico, getting about 5″ long not including the tail.

(x)

Anolis allisoni (Allisons Anole) Blue is only on the males and it’s variable but WOW. They’re native to Belize (Islas de la Bahia), Cuba, and Honduras. They’re a smaller species getting to about 4″ in length and are very closely related to your common Green Anole. In fact, a female of each species is very very similar in appearance!!

(x)

Anolis barbouri (Hispilan Hopping Anole) Now THIS anole… THIS ANOLE RIGHT HERE… is NOT arboreal!!!! She lives on the ground like a good god fearing lizard amonst leaf litter. This is SO unusual for anoles!!! Like you have no idea! I’m losing my fucking MIND over this lizard!!! I don’t know maybe it’s just me but that’s inCREDIBLE and I can’t get over it. On the ground!!!! This publication is a literal GOLDMINE of information about them. They are native the the Dominican Republic. Just look at this lizard!!! You can tell she isn’t like other anoles. The whole shape is just… different!!

(x)

Anolis proboscis (Proboscis Anole)  When I saw the name of this anole… I knew… I KNEW it would be incredible. And it is. Behold the INCREDIBLY SEXY proboscis anole!!! It is native to Ecuador and the males have this AMAZING snout. Even the females are cool and spiky. They’re small, about 3″ long, and endangered! Again, due to habitat loss these poor guys are threatened with extinction.

(x)

And now…. drum roll please… the highly variable Anolis marmoratus (Leopard Anole)!!! Ok not technically variable but there are TEN subspecies and they all look different and BEAUTIFUL!!! Her are a few of the prettiest, in my opinion. Images (x) They are native to Guadeloupe and get about 3″.  Interestingly, they hybridize commonly in the wild so these sub-species are uh… not always “pure”! You get tons of variability even among different localities.

Anolis marmoratus marmoratus

Anolis marmoratus giraffus

Anolis marmoratus alliaceus

In conclusion, ANOLES ARE COOL AND INTERESTING LIZARDS AND I LOVE THEM

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concept: me in my cottage with quilts i made drinking hot chocolate, my garden is thriving and filled with bugs

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MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM HATCHES “EXTINCT” WOOLY SUNFISH IN WORLD-FIRST

A young wooly sunfish Woola woola in the Aquarium’s Open Sea exhibition. © Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey, CA — In a hair-raising breakthrough, scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium have successfully hatched the previously extinct wooly sunfish, or Woola woola.

“We’re so excited to finally let our hair down about this research,” said Harriett Topay, the lead scientist on the project. “After numerous breakthroughs in raising comb jellies, we knew we were groomed for success with the wooly sunfish.”

“The science was patchy to say the least,” said Will Koife, one of the aquarists on the project. “But after brushing up on the few trimmings of data we could find, everything sorta gelled.”

Woola woola, the only known member of its genus, once swam in the frigid waters of an ancient ocean far chillier than it is today. Subsisting on a diet of mullet and ctenophores, its shaggy, rugged pelt provided extra insulation on deeper dives. According to a thin fossil record, the wooly sunfish went extinct sometime after the last Ice Age. But a recent discovery of some permafrosted tips of Woola fur with viable DNA gave the wooly sunfish a chance at recovery.

Three juvenile wooly sunfish ready to greet Aquarium visitors at their April 1st unveiling. © Monterey Bay Aquarium

“It was a close shave for the Woola, for sure, but we’ll see if they can make the cut this time,” said Will.

The resurrection of the Woola has caused a few vocal critics to curl. “This research is really fringe, and not in a good way,” said Dr. E.N. Malcomb, a notable de-extinction buzzkill. “I don’t want to split hairs on ethics, but with the Woola, there’s been a lotta coulda, and not a lotta shoulda.”

Dr. Malcomb continued: “But then again, the return of the wooly sunfish could just be a bald-faced lie—and based on today’s date, I think that’s a safe bet.”

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Footage suggests they are able to store oxygen and then breathe it while they’re underwater, behaviour that has never been documented or even seen in lizards before.

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me @ anything ever: it’s like that one episode of spongebob

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According to researchers, coordinated critics have mounted a “misinformation campaign designed to purposefully fabricate doubt regarding the harmful impacts of outdoor cats and stymie policies that would remove outdoor cats from the landscape.”

The conflict stems from a groundbreaking study published in 2013 by scientists from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. That study evaluated the combined impact of the tens of millions of outdoor cats in the United States. The authors found that roaming outdoor cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds every year and are the leading source of direct, human-caused mortality to birds in the country. Similar results have since been confirmed in Canada and Australia.

READ MORE

To those of you still in denial about how bad outdoor cats are to wildlife not just in your own countries but globally here’s the cold hard scientific facts stating that you are apart of a movement of uneducated critics spreading misinformation. 

Here’s the link to the open-source scientific artificial as well:

Responding to misinformation and criticisms regarding United States cat predation estimates (2018). Loss S, Will T, Longcore T, Marra P. Biological Invasions; 20(12): 3385-2296

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Bat facts #20

Bats are the only animal with spaghetti in stead of DNA