page_title: Anolis oculatus
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Anolis oculatus / Description
caption_attribution_description: Male Dominican Anole (Anolis oculatus) extending its throat fan (dewlap). North Caribbean ecotype (A. o. cabritensis). Coulibistrie, Dominica.
context_page_description: Anolis oculatus, the Dominican anole or eyed anole, is a species of anole lizard. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Dominica, where it is found in most environments. The species is found in a diverse range of color forms, which one herpetologist once classified as four subspecies, which most other scientists did not recognise because the forms gradually inter-grade with one another. Two later researchers have instead promoted the "ecotypes" concept, hypothesizing the color forms are maintained by the ecological conditions of the surrounding environment, despite being genetically indistinguishable. The morphology of some traits is subject to clinal variation, gradually changing from one side of the island to the other, or from sea level to the hilltops. The ground color ranges from pale tan or yellow to deep green or brown. It also has patterned markings that range from light-colored speckling to complex marbled patterns, and some populations also have large black-ringed "eye" spots on their flanks.
  The Dominican anole spends much of the time in trees but mainly hunts on the ground.
context_section_description: The Dominican anole is medium-sized for anoles, with a maximum snout-vent-length (SVL) in males of 61–98 mm (2.4–3.9 in) depending on the population (with larger sizes correlating with higher altitudes), and tails of at least equal length; females are smaller in all populations. Adult males have a tail crest and a prominent, extensible throat fan that is often a bright yellow or orange. The throat fan is only rudimentary in females, and less brightly colored. Some may have bright blue eyes. Dominican anoles are capable of slight color change, but not as much as some other anoles.
  Their ground color varies from pale tan or ash gray to deep brown or green. Markings also vary significantly. Adult males in all populations have some combination of white or light-colored spotting distributed over most of their bodies. This manifests in different populations as small, evenly distributed spots; scattered groups of white scales; or streaks that run together in a marbled appearance. Males in some populations additionally have larger lateral spots ringed by irregularly shaped black splotches. Markings on females and juveniles are significantly lighter or less distinct, and black spots are extremely uncommon. Females and juveniles may additionally have lateral streaks or mid-dorsal stripes.
  The cause of the variability of the anole has been the subject of much study. Its morphological traits vary independently from each other, such that the presence of one trait does not predict the presence of another. Some traits vary altitudinally and others longitudinally, or may correlate with ecological factors such as rainfall and vegetation type. Populations in drier habitats tend to be paler in color with marbled or blotched markings, while those in wetter habitats are deeper green, hence the usage of the term "ecotype" by Malhotra et al.. The same patterns are also seen in the highly variable A. marmoratus on Guadeloupe, a neighboring island group that has a range of habitats comparable to Dominica.
caption: A male Dominican anole extends its throat fan (dewlap). North Caribbean ecotype. Coulibistrie, Dominica.
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