Editor’s Choice 2023-24

Anoles are a group of highly diverse lizards, having undergone the evolutionary process of adaptive radiation on different Caribbean islands. Across the Greater Antilles, anoles evolved distinct forms known as ecomorphs, which are local adaptations to different microhabitats and niches through convergent evolution. These different forms have very distinct sizes and shapes. These 3D, high-resolution X-ray computed tomography images of anole skulls showcase the variation. The lizards represented are, from left to right: grass bush, trunk, crown giant, trunk crown, trunk ground, twig and a unique semiaquatic variety. The skulls in the image are not to scale and were resized to similar dimensions for comparison purposes.

Specimens were loaned from collections at the University of Kansas, American Museum of Natural History and Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and scanned at UT’s High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography Facility.

Credit:
Tianyi Xu
Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Ph.D. Student