Costa Rica has contributed yet another amazing animal to the field of Herpetology – a river anole lizard that can remain underwater for up to sixteen minutes, seemingly by using an air bubble on the top of its head to refresh the air in its lungs.
Two scientists were filming anole lizards hurling themselves off of rocks and branches in Coto Brus, when they realized the little guys were staying underwater for a looooong time. It was not until biologists and filmmakers Drs. Neil Losin and Nate Dappen were back in the US and examining the underwater footage they had shot of the lizards, that they discovered the secret: the lizards were re-breathing air out of a bubble on the top of their heads, just like a scuba diver would breathe underwater.
Anoles are a small, mainly arboreal American lizard with a throat fan that in males is typically brightly colored. Anoles move away from perceived threats, changing sides of the branch or rock to avoid trouble. If they really feel in danger, the males puff out a brightly colored throat fan to scare predators away. They also resort to diving into rivers to escape predators. Losin and Dappen were able to film the underwater movements of these lizards in Costa Rica, and captured the amazing bubble which appears, then disappears on the top of their heads. They were breathing underwater, allowing them to outwait any danger lurking on the surface.
Losin and Dappen released their documentary of the river anoles – Anolis oxylophus – on the Smithsonian Channel in a film titled “Laws of the Lizard”, which documents the surprisingly complex story of anoles, a lizard group which can be found in your backyard, or in the tropical rainforest. These river anoles may be the only known example of re-breathing in land animals with backbones.
Said Dr. Dappen about their discovery, “It demonstrates one of the things that biologists often find, which is there’s so much we don’t know about nature.” Losin and Dappen plan to continue their research into river anoles, studying exactly how the anoles exchange air from pockets on their heads and the bubble which expands and contracts as they breathe.
Scientists continue to find new species of flora and fauna each year in Costa Rica. We are blessed with 5% of the world’s biodiversity, and a park service which protects it through some 27 national parks, 58 wildlife refuges, 8 biological reserves, and numerous public/ private protected zones.
Two scientists were filming anole lizards hurling themselves off of rocks and branches in Coto Brus, when they realized the little guys were staying underwater for a looooong time. It was not until biologists and filmmakers Drs. Neil Losin and Nate Dappen were back in the US and examining the underwater footage they had shot of the lizards, that they discovered the secret: the lizards were re-breathing air out of a bubble on the top of their heads, just like a scuba diver would breathe underwater.
Anoles are a small, mainly arboreal American lizard with a throat fan that in males is typically brightly colored. Anoles move away from perceived threats, changing sides of the branch or rock to avoid trouble. If they really feel in danger, the males puff out a brightly colored throat fan to scare predators away. They also resort to diving into rivers to escape predators. Losin and Dappen were able to film the underwater movements of these lizards in Costa Rica, and captured the amazing bubble which appears, then disappears on the top of their heads. They were breathing underwater, allowing them to outwait any danger lurking on the surface.
Losin and Dappen released their documentary of the river anoles – Anolis oxylophus – on the Smithsonian Channel in a film titled “Laws of the Lizard”, which documents the surprisingly complex story of anoles, a lizard group which can be found in your backyard, or in the tropical rainforest. These river anoles may be the only known example of re-breathing in land animals with backbones.
Said Dr. Dappen about their discovery, “It demonstrates one of the things that biologists often find, which is there’s so much we don’t know about nature.” Losin and Dappen plan to continue their research into river anoles, studying exactly how the anoles exchange air from pockets on their heads and the bubble which expands and contracts as they breathe.
Scientists continue to find new species of flora and fauna each year in Costa Rica. We are blessed with 5% of the world’s biodiversity, and a park service which protects it through some 27 national parks, 58 wildlife refuges, 8 biological reserves, and numerous public/ private protected zones.
