Anoles: Reptilian Jewels of the Cloud Forest

Persistence Rewarded

These images are the result of several weeks of patient work at Mindo, Ecuador.  It was necessary for me to spend many hours in the forest at close quarters with my tiny saurian subjects in order to become familiar with their habits, and even, in some cases, gain their trust. Only then was it possible for me to shoot the intimate portraits seen on these pages.  

All daylight photos shown here were made without recourse to flash. Just one of these animals was detained to be photographed: Anolis fraseri, captured while asleep at night, shot in the morning, then released at its stream-side capture site. All others were photographed in situ and unrestrained.  

It will no doubt be observed that no two individuals of the species Anolis gemmosus seem to share quite the same colouration and pattern.  This initially caused me some confusion, but A. gemmosus is in fact a highly polymorphic species. Sexual dimorphism is also very pronounced in this beautiful lizard.