Date Time
Same dance, different species: how natural selection drives common behaviour of lizards
A surprising study on the behaviour of unrelated lizards demonstrates how evolution can lead to different species learning the same skills.
Anolis (pictured) lizards retract their dewlaps (throat fans) for the same reason as Draco lizards, which are unrelated to the species and live thousands of kilometres away. Photo: Shutterstock.
It’s dark on the island of Jamaica and a male Anolis lizard is trying to capture the attention of a female lizard in a rainforest.
But the wind is blowing the vegetation around him, hampering his efforts to woo a mate, so he starts to perform an elaborate head bob.