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Lizards of Zihuatanejo

SUBORDER​ SAURIA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Reptiles (Class Reptilia)

-​Snakes and Lizards (Order Squamata)

-Lizards (Suborder​ Sauria)

-Anoles (Family Anolidae)

-​Anoles (Genus Anolis)

-​Clouded Anole (Anolis nebulosus​)


A small Anolis species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae which is endemic to Mexico. These are the northernmost anoles in Central America, reaching about halfway up through the state of Sonora. This is a short-lived, fast-growing species with high clutch frequencies and one egg per clutch. Diet consists primarily of insects and spiders.

Clouded Anole

Anolis nebulosus

Diet

  • Primarily insectivorous, feeding on ants, beetles, flies, termites, crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars, spiders, and other small arthropods.

  • Occasionally consumes small fruits and nectar.

  • Hunts by patiently waiting on tree trunks, branches, or shrubs before making a rapid dash to capture prey.

Range

  • Endemic to western Mexico, occurring along the Pacific slope from southern Sonora through Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, and into western Oaxaca.

  • Common throughout the Zihuatanejo region, where it is one of the most frequently encountered small lizards.

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, semi-deciduous forests, woodland edges, secondary forest, gardens, and plantations.

  • Usually found on tree trunks, fence posts, shrubs, rocks, and low vegetation, from ground level to several metres above the ground.

  • Most active during the day, especially on warm, sunny mornings and afternoons.

Size

  • Total length: 10–18 cm (4–7 in)

  • Snout-to-vent length (SVL):

    • Male: 4.5–5.5 cm (1.8–2.2 in)

    • Female: 3.8–4.8 cm (1.5–1.9 in)

  • Weight: 3–8 g

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