WHEN it comes to evolutionary nimbleness, anole lizards are among the most agile of all animals. Their adaptability may be one reason why the Anolis genus has been so successful.
Jonathan Losos, a biologist at Harvard University, and his colleagues tracked the fate of individual Anolis sagrei lizards on six small islands in the Bahamas after the team introduced a predatory lizard. Immediately after the predator arrived, longer-legged and therefore faster A. sagrei individuals survived in greater numbers than their slower brethren. Within six months, however, the lizards learned to spend more time up in the branches of shrubs,…
