Blue anole


The blue anole is a small, highly threatened species of dactyloid lizards. It is found only on the island of Gorgona, in the Colombian Pacific.

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.

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. They commonly fall prey to the introduced western basilisk lizards and are also threatened by deforestation. The largest amount of damage to their habitat occurred when a prison was built on the island in the 1950s. It has been proposed that some individuals could be captured for a captive breeding program.