#lizard species

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2nd of August 2026: Phymaturus maquinchao

A very brief post today on Phymaturus maquinchao, as they were only discovered in 2022, and thus there hasn’t been much writing on them. They’re named after Maquinchao, and ancient native word meaning “site of wintering”, referring to where they’re from.

They’re a lizard around 9 cm in length, excluding the tail, which would add around another 10. They have thus far only been found inhabiting the northwestern margin of Meseta de Somuncurá in the Río Negro province in Argentina. While this may be in part due to the fact further research and surveying specifically looking for them hasn’t been conducted, the genus Phymaturus is also known for being extremely endemic, with many species within it only being known from their type locality, so the place where they were first discovered.

This may be because the genus spend most of their time chilling on rocks. All Phymaturus studied have been exclusively herbivorous and viviparous, meaning they give birth to live young. Thus it is quite safe to assume that P. maquinchao would behave similarly.

Sources: [Information] [Image by Luciano Javier Avila] 

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13th of August 2026: Hispanolian Hopping Anole

Today’s daily critter is the Hispanolian Hopping Anole (Anolis barbouri), a reptile a formal publication has described before as an “odd little lizard” [1]. As their name suggests, they are found in Hispaniola, an island in the Caribbean [2].

They can reach a body length of up to 5.5 cm, and when they were originally discovered, they were actually considered distinct enough to be placed into their own genus, Chamaelinorops, though DNA sequencing has since firmly placed them in Anolis. One of the reasons they look strange when compared to similar lizards is because of their unique vertebral column [1]. It’s not entirely clear why they are shaped that way. An initial theory was that it would help them jump, but it turns out that they are subpar jumpers relative to their size when compared to other anoles. This is due to their spindly legs and reduced limb musculature [3].

They’re found in broad-leaf forest in areas with lots of leaf litter [2], where they strongly prefer shaded areas and don’t bask in the sunlight (though still manage to maintain body temperatures above the ambient temperature) [4]. Another thing which makes them look so distinct is their cryptic colouration [1]. Their primary defence strategy is to run away for brief distances and then stay motionless, so that their colouration allows them to blend into the leaf litter. Once scientists manage to grab them though, they will try to bite [4].

They feed primarily on beetles, crickets, ants, and caterpillars. Their diet actually aligns more closely with terrestrial frogs than it does with other anoles [4]. And just to top off their refusal to fit in with anole species, male Hispanolian Hopping Anoles don’t appear to show the same territorial behaviours that most anoles do. While they will still display their dewlaps to other males, they do so in fewer ways and are in general far more hesitant to get into close contact with other males. Even when proximity was induced by researchers, they would usually not escalate, as would have been expected for other anoles [5].

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [Image by Pedro Genaro Rodriguez] 

(Bonus image below the cut)

Also here is a wonderful diagram from the study looking at male territorial behaviours and dewlap displays [5]

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Shed Booger & Salad

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13th of July 2025: Liolaemus kulinko

If you’ve got a few minutes to spare, why not appreciate Liolaemus kulinko today. They are found in Aguada Pichana and Bajo de Añelo, locations in the Neuquén Province in Argentina.

They are quite easily found within this area, especially around noon and early afternoon. Despite this, it took until 2023 for someone to describe them (which is why there’s only one source for this write-up), perhaps in part due to the fact that this area already has a lot of lizard species.

The one pictured above is likely male, as the males tend to be more colourful than the females. Both their tails and bodies tend to be around 8 cm long, though males are on average slightly larger than the females.

They’re big fans of sand, frequenting dunes and sandy areas, and spend their time in a dry habitat with microenvironments fostered by shrubbery. Based upon stomach content and faeces, it appears they mostly eat ants and other insects, though seeds and other plant remains have been found as well. Females have also been spotted around juveniles, which may indicate maternal care.

Sources: [Info] [Image] 

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Winter is coming

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22nd of September 2025: Oriente Bearded Anole

Here’s a somewhat funky looking lizard! The Oriente Bearded Anole (Anolis porcus) is a large lizard who can grow up to 17 cm in length and have a proportionally larger head than most other species of lizards [1]. They are considered to be in the Xiphosurus chamaeleonides species group [2].

Said skulls are believed to help in the cracking of shells. Other species that are also within the same species group have been observed to eat snails and so it is generally assumed they likely also feed on molluscs [3]. Their species in particular has only been observed to eat a cockroach once, who they chewed on for almost 10 minutes before swallowing [4].

They live in Eastern Cuba in a wide variety of forests [5]. They’re considered strictly arboreal, and are rarely spotted on the ground [6]. They most commonly move along branches with a rocking motion, where they rock back and forth while slowly walking forwards. They have however also been observed just walking regularly, though slowly, and even jumping from one perch to another, one instance being to catch the cockroach mentioned previously [4].

Their big size has also been seen to serve as a protective advantage. Specifically, researchers have observed a snake attempting to eat an Oriente Bearded Anole only to give up upon realising they’d greatly underestimated the size of prey they could eat. There are some pictures in the source if you’d like to check those out [6].

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [Image]