St. John is home to many lizards, most notably the Puerto Rican crested anole. Male anoles display their “dewlap” and may also do a push-up movement when they feel threatened, or trying to attract a mate (same thing?). Anoles come in a variety of colors from off-white to dark brown, and blend well in St. John’s tropical terrain. Their long tails can actually come off if they are in a situation where that may be necessary to survive (think cats).
While clearly a wee creepy at first, lizards are incredibly cool. First, they eat insects. Not just dead ones, but the flying ones that are hard to capture. Lizards will smartly hang out by an outdoor light at night like its happy hour and bugs are on special. If you’re lucky enough to have a lizard inside, consider it your protector. I’ve seen an anole lizard attack a live tarantula (and win).
