A Blue-Eyed Beast

What am I looking at?

This is a western bearded anole (Anolis barbatus), sometimes called a “false chameleon” due to the heavy eyelids covering most of its eyes. In this image, you can see one of its blue eyes (1) and its “beard” made of spiked scales (2). Click on the right arrow to see some views of the whole lizard.

Biology in the background

These lizards are native to western Cuba. Their head is large compared to their body; they use their wide mouth and blunt teeth to catch and chew snails – their main food source. They have pads on each toe like a gecko and a claw at the tip of each toe. These gripping pads and hooked claws allow them to climb on virtually any surface. This makes them well adapted to forest living, but they also do well in towns and cities. They can often be found basking on stone walls or streets or hunting the snails that feed on the detritus humans leave on the ground in cities.

These anoles can grow up to 18 centimeters long (about 7 inches).

Technique

These images were created using macrophotography.