Natures wonders: scuba-diving lizards (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, September 19, 2024, 16:17 (33 days ago) @ David Turell

Staying safe under water:

https://www.sciencealert.com/tiny-hats-of-air-could-give-scuba-diving-lizards-a-fightin...

"Little lizards that wear snout bubbles underwater really do seem to be using them as tiny scuba tanks.

Water anoles (Anolis aquaticus) made headlines a few years ago when they were caught proudly holding onto shiny pockets of air while submerged in their Costa Rican streams.

"Now Binghamton University ecologist Lindsey Swierk's experiment provides new insights into this odd adaptation, likely a tactic to escape the clutches of a forest full of hungry predators.

"'This is really significant because this is the first experiment that truly shows adaptive significance of bubbles. Rebreathing bubbles allow lizards to stay underwater longer. Before, we suspected it – we saw a pattern – but we didn't actually test if it served a functional role," says Swierk.

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"'The surplus air carried inside and on the hydrophobic body surface of semi-aquatic anoles works like a human diver's scuba tank to extend dive time by providing an additional volume of accessible air," Swierk writes in her paper.

***

"Swierk's experiment confirms water anoles are the first known backboned animal to use bubbles to help them breathe underwater, likely to escape becoming something else's dinner.

"'Anoles are kind of like the chicken nuggets of the forest. Birds eat them, snakes eat them," says Swierk.

"'By jumping in the water, they can escape a lot of their predators, and they remain very still underwater. They're pretty well camouflaged underwater as well, and they just stay underwater until that danger passes. We know that they can stay underwater at least about 20 minutes, but probably longer.'"

Comment: the ability to absorb air under the skin creates this trick. It looks like a learned instinct.