comparative zoology
Jamaican gray anole, observed near Discovery Bay, Jamaica Image courtesy Terry J. Ord |
Jamaican lizards mark their territory with shows of strength at dusk and dawnWhat does ageless fitness guru Jack LaLanne have in common with a Jamaican lizard? Like LaLanne, the lizards greet each day with vigorous push-ups. That's according to a new study showing that male Anolis lizards engage in impressive displays of reptilian strength - push-ups, head bobs, and threatening extension of a colorful neck flap called a dewlap -- to defend their territory at dawn and dusk. The lizards are the first animals known to mark dawn and dusk through visual displays, rather than the much better known chirping, tweeting, and other sounding off by birds, frogs, geckos, and primates. |
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