Male Forest Anoles Glow to Attract Female Attention
Posted on August 17, 2015
Anoles have a throat fan that is called a dewlap. When the light passes through this translucent dewlap it can cause the throat fan to glow dramatically. Researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia found that male anoles use this effect to attract female attention.
The anoles were seen perching on tree limbs and bobbing there heads up and down. The glowing effect from light passing through the dewlap makes the male anoles stand out better. The glowing anole pictured above is a Jamaican Gray Lizard (Anolis lineatopus).
Manuel Leal, a biologist at the University of Missouri and study co-author, says in a statement, "When I first saw this glowing effect in the field, I thought, 'Wow! There is something special about this'."
This video explains the diffuse transmission of light taking place in the anole dewlap. It also provides multiple images of anoles with glowing throats. Take a look:
A research paper on the findings can be found here. The authors of the study say, "This is the first study to demonstrate the evolutionary advantage of possessing a translucent display organ that uses diffuse transmitted light to increase its visibility."
- Fossil of Giant Freshwater Turtle Discovered
- Hubble Observes Stormy Weather on Jupiter
- Australian Spider Named After Marvel's Venom
- NASA's JWST Captures New Views of NGC 604
- Ancient Giant Sea Lizard Had Dagger-Like Teeth