#chipojo

[dessism]

Throwback to 2018 😍 On my trip to Cuba 🇨🇺 I saw this fascinating creature. Just found out it is a blue-headed anole lizard, or it's called "chipojo" in Cuba. This quickly became like a treasure hunting game - trying to find as many of them as we could, looking for them on the palm trees! Was totally worth it! 😍 Funny enough this is the only picture I've got left from my trip to Cuba after my SD card got damaged and I lost everything 🙈 but it is a picture I am proud of 🥰 Tought me a lesson, though! Always back up your SD cards and don't buy cheap and dodgy cards 😅 and send your most precious pictures to close friends or family so you can recover them after that 😂 . . #greeniguanas #anolelizard #travelcuba #blueheadedanole #chipojo #marineiguana #lagartijas #naturephotograpy #palmtrees #natgeoyourshot #cienfuegos #travelcaptures #lizardsofinstagram #anole (at Cienfuegos, Cuba) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAJKicvjkfj/?igshid=1xa2nnglwhxf0

[ainawgsd]

Knight Anole

The Knight anole (Anolis equestris) is a species of anole lizard and the largest species within the anole (Anolis)genus. Other common names include Cuban knight anole. In its native Cuba, this large anole is called chipojo. It grows to a length of 13 to 20 inches, including the tail. A few specimens have reached up to 24 inches.

Knight anoles are fiercely territorial, and will initially turn to face almost any perceived threat, if only from a distance. During its challenge display, a lizard will sit high on all fours, gape menacingly, turn green, and perhaps bob its head. The male will extend its dewlap, and both females and males will "puff themselves up" with air. In captivity, the anole's aggressiveness seems to lessen to a certain degree, if it is raised from the time of its birth and handled, it is common for it to become tame enough to be held. It may be hand-fed with caution, since it has a strong bite and many small, sharp teeth.

Knight anoles are native to Cuba, but have been widely introduced into South Florida, where they reproduce and spread readily. They cannot withstand freezing temperatures; in winter freezes in South Florida, they drop semiconscious from tree canopies.  Knight anoles are arboreal although during the day are known to warm on asphalt, rocks, or sidewalks.

These lizards are diurnal predators. Its diet as a young anole consists mainly of insects. As an adult, it eats larger prey, such as tarantulas, other anoles, geckos, and even adult birds and mammals. While in captivity, Knight Anoles seem to prefer caterpillar and other larvae such as the superworms that are a staple of the pet trade over the likes of crickets.