Knight anole

[Ceratodromeus]

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Polychrotidae
Genus: Anolis
Species: Anolis equestris

Description - Also known as the Cuban knight anole, this lizard is the largest of the anolis genus. males are larger then females and can grow to 14 inches, half of which is tail. females are slightly smaller growing to about a foot. there are a few reported individuals reaching the two foot mark, but it appears to represent the maximum boy length of the species. A mass range of 1684 grams was given in The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida(Camposano 2008). These anoles are a lime green in color, with various light blue banding coupled with white and yellow speckling. A white stripe can be observed above the shoulder of most individuals. Both males and females sport a reddish-white dewlap. The temperament of these lizards seems to be calmer in captive animals then their wild counterparts. they bite has been described as painful, and these anoles tend to hold on. Aforementioned bite is described as "painful", by those who have been bitten. Like other anole species, A. equestris has been noted to change color in reaction to temperature.

Range - as the alternative common name might indicate, these lizards are native Cuba, but have become widespread in South Florida. There, they are classified as an invasive species. However, they are not seen as a threat to the ecosystem by the department of wildlife.

Behavior - A fairly calm lizard when left unprovoked, this lizard will initially scamper away rapidly if approached, but  can and will act out aggresively if agitated. like a lot of lizard species, this anole has its fair share of predators. snakes, larger lizards, frogs, raptorial birds, and felids are all probable predators. They are a very territorial species of lizard, frequently engaging in intraspecific conflicts with one another(Typically males) over territory. These conflicts are often very violent and bloody, as shown by the video below.


They spend the majority of their lives in the trees, spending the majority of the day basking before going to forage amongst the branches. Males have a more extensive home range then the females, but there is typically overlap between the sexes (see Home-range size and overlap within an introduced

population of the Cuban Knight Anole, Anolis  equestris (Squamata: Iguanidae); Nicholson and richards 2011)

Diet - Being as large as these lizards are, anything they can fit into their mouths is fair game. They are omnivorous, and have been noted to eat figs and other small fruits in their habitats whenever available.
Animal prey, as listed by Campasano (2008) is as follows:

insects (especially moths, butterflies, and their larvae,

beetles, crickets and grasshoppers, and ants, bees, and wasps),

and small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards (including its own

species), and small birds (Schettino 1999, Schwartz and

Henderson 1991)

Reproduction - Copulating pairs are most frequently observed from April through August (Meshaka et al. 2004, Meshaka and Rice 2005). the eggs are small and pearly white; typical clutch size is 1-3 eggs. Neonates typically are <4 cm SVL, and development to sexual maturity (100–110 mm SVL) is rapid in males and females (12–13 months, 8–9 months, respectively) (Meshaka 1999a, Meshaka et al. 2004) When they hatch, they will climb up the nearest amount of vegetation and begin the arboreal lifestyle characteristic of the species.

[Ceratodromeus]

Predation Attempt by the Cuban Racer, Cubophis cantherigerus (Squamata: Dipsadidae) on the Cuban Giant Anole, Anolis equestris buidei (Squamata: Dactyloidae), a Threatened Endemic Subspecies
"Snakes swallow their prey whole, so gape limits the size of
the prey they can consume (e.g., Rodríguez-Robles et al.
1999; Vincent et al. 2006). Nevertheless, most snakes are able
to capture, subdue, and kill large potential prey, but in some
instances such an animal is too large for the snake and cannot
be swallowed (e.g., Caramaschi and Niemeyer 2012; Fong et
al. 2013; Vargas-Salinas and Aponte-Gutierrez 2013; Torres
et al. 2014b). On other occasions, the potential prey can be
swallowed but exceeds the snake’s stomach capacity and is
later regurgitated (with the consequent waste of energy) or
the snake might even die (e.g., Caramaschi and Niemeyer
2012). Regardless, the eventual result is unsuccessful or
failed predation. This phenomenon has been reported twice
in Cuban snakes, and both cases involved the Cuban Giant
Trope, Tropidophis melanurus (Tropidophiidae; Fong et al.
2013; Torres et al. 2014). However, few cases of “failed predation”
have been reported in other than constricting snakes
(e.g., Vargas-Salinas and Aponte-Gutierrez 2013). Herein
we report “failed predation” by a Cuban Racer, Cubophis
cantherigerus cantherigerus (Dipsadidae), on a Cuban Giant
Anole, Anolis equestris buidei (Dactyloidae; Fig. 1). This is the
first report of “failed predation” by a colubroid snake in the
West Indies, and the first report of a snake attempting to prey
on an anole of the crown-giant ecomorph in Cuba.
At 1250 h on 7 April 2004, an adult Cubophis c. cantherigerus
(ca. 750 mm SVL, 37 mm head length) and an
adult female Anolis equestris buidei (ca. 165 mm SVL, 51
mm head length) fell from the thatched roof of a small rustic
wooden gazebo (Fig. 2) in the protected area “Varahicacos”
(23º11’39”N, -81º09’11”W; WGS 84) on the Hicacos
Peninsula (Fig. 3), Cárdenas, Matanzas Province, Cuba.
When they hit the ground, the snake had bitten the right
forearm of the lizard (Fig. 4A). The snake rapidly laid one
coil around the pelvic region of the lizard (Fig. 4B) and
remained in that position for about 45 sec. During this time,
the snake tried repeatedly to swallow the forearm of the lizard
until it reached the scapular region, after which it released
the coil (Fig. 4C). The snake maintained the bite for 2 min
and 25 sec, during which it frequently readjusted its jaws.
Subsequently, the snake released the lizard, which remained
motionless, with eyes closed, and with a drab olive-yellow
coloration (Figs. 4D–F). The snake immediately searched for
the head of the lizard and commenced swallowing (Fig. 4D).
After about a minute and a half, the snake ceased trying to
swallow the lizard, but remained alongside it for about four
more minutes, opening its mouth and readjusting the jaws
(Fig. 4E). The snake then bit the lizard before abandoning
it (Fig. 4F). We examined the lizard immediately and found
that it had died. Whether the snake abandoned the lizard
because of an insufficient gape size, because of the photographer’s
proximity, or some combination of both is uncertain.
“True predators” (sensu Begon et al. 2006) kill and consume
their prey more or less immediately after attacking it,
which ensures the flow of energy and matter from one trophic
level to the next. Thus, an instance in which an animal
captures and kills another without ingestion and the subsequent
energetic reward should be classified as “unsuccessful
or failed predation.” Unsuccessful predation has two potential
outcomes for the prey. It might be captured and killed or it is
captured but not killed by the potential predator. In the first
case, the potential prey can be consumed by detritivores and
enter the decomposer chain directly (see Begon et al. 2006).
In the second instance, the potential prey remains alive and
no alteration in the flux of energy occurs except for the energy
wasted by both individuals involved in the predation attempt.
West Indian anoles of the crown-giant ecomorph are
among the largest species in the genus Anolis, with snout-vent
lengths sometimes exceeding 190 mm (e.g., Losos 2009).
This ecomorph comprises 12 species distributed in Cuba
(6), Hispaniola (3), Jamaica (1), and the Greater Puerto Rico
Bank (2; e.g., Henderson and Powell 2009; Losos 2009;
Powell and Henderson 2012). In addition to large size, some
of these anoles are very aggressive and have a powerful bite(see
Henderson and Powell 2009 for a review). Nonetheless, even
this considerable aggression does not deter some predators,
and several species are known to consume giant anoles. These
include snakes (Borikenophis, Chilabothrus, Magliophis), birds
(Buteo, Coccyzus, Crotophaga, Falco, Margarops, Quiscalus,
Turdus, Tyto), and mammals (Herpestes, Homo, Rattus; see
Henderson and Powell 2009 for a review). However, the only
confirmed predators in Cuba are birds (Coccyzus merlini, Falco
sparverius, and Turdus plumbeus) and only the Cuban Giant
Anole (Anolis equestris) is recorded as prey (see Henderson
and Powell 2009 for a review)."

www.ircf.org/journal/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/RA-23.1_46-50_Rodr%C3%ADguez-etal_print.pdf

[Ceratodromeus]

Knight anole eats a bird

"Two brothers working a roofing job in the town of Kailua on Oahu, Hawaii got a surprise when they saw and recorded a Cuban Knight anole (Anolis equestris) eating a bird on a tree branch in Kailua.

Nick and Ryan Lundquist were working on a roof December 21 when Ryan Lundquist spotted the reptile eating a bird.

“(The bird) looked kind of mangled or whatnot. It look kind of weird, and then the next thing I know, it turns to the left, and it looks, just a big old lizard eating it, so I yell to my brother, you’ve got to get up here,” Ryan Lundquist told KHON 2.
The brothers recorded the video and then captured it, placing it in a bucket. They then contacted the Hawaii Department of Agriculture who was supposed to come out and retrieve it.

According to KHON, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture says there is a known population of the invasive lizard on the windward side of Oahu. They are just not readily seen because they live high up in the trees.

The Cuban knight anole is native to Cuba and has become established in South Florida as well as Hawaii. The arboreal lizard is an opportunistic feeder, known to prey on other anoles, geckos, and small birds and mammals."

www.reptilesmagazine.com/Video-Invasive-Cuban-Knight-Anole-Eats-Bird-In-Hawaii-trending/