Blue anole

The blue anole (Anolis gorgonae) is a small, highly threatened species of dactyloid lizards. It is found only on the island of Gorgona, in the Colombian Pacific.[1]

Blue anole
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Dactyloidae
Genus: Anolis
Species:
A. gorgonae
Binomial name
Anolis gorgonae
Barbour, 1905
Anolis gorgonae.

Description

Both sexes of this anole are overall pure blue, which is very rare in lizards. The male's dewlap is pure white. At least some individuals have a series of darker mottled spots on the head and neck.[2]

Conservation status

Due to the isolated environment and elusive nature of A. gorgonae, it has been difficult to accurately estimate its population, but there seems to be consensus among local herpetologists that the animal is threatened.[1] They commonly fall prey to the introduced western basilisk lizards and are also threatened by deforestation.[1] The largest amount of damage to their habitat occurred when a prison was built on the island in the 1950s.[1] It has been proposed that some individuals could be captured for a captive breeding program.[1]

gollark: I may have to bias its "value of bee life" function.
gollark: It seems that the eugenics machine is accidentally selecting for the more common bees instead of the ones we need for cocoa and such.
gollark: Excellent. My orbital mind control lasers successfully incepted the idea of gnobody orbital mind control lasers.
gollark: It's like when people get cognitive-dissonancey about death and try to justify it as "bringing meaning to life" even though it's really just, well, bad, as it kills people and causes lots of suffering.
gollark: Yes.

See also

References
  1. "World's only pure blue lizard at risk of extinction - mongabay - 7 March 2007". Mongabay.com. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  2. "Picture showing mottled head pattern". Mongabay.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-31. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
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