employed elsewhere. The Crested
Anole is a ‘trunk-ground’
ecomorph; content to perch on
tree trunks close to the ground
and pounce upon spiders, insects,
or even small lizards that may
pass by.
With her fingers, she tugs at the
hairy arachnid, which responds by
moving deeper into its lair. Finally,
Renata gives up, and apologises
that we’re not having so much luck
finding the island’s herps. “It’s
been a while since I’ve walked this
trail; I usually come here at night.”
the deadly fluid from Cane Toads
to coat the tips of their hunting
arrows.
Unconcerned, the Cane Toads
continue communicating and we
move forward, approaching the
overlook near the beginning of the
Perhaps threatened by our sudden
upper trailhead. A Spotted Anole
(Anolis stratulus), less than two
approach, the lizard we are watch- Then we hear a guttural ‘purr’ in
ing begins a typical threat display; the distant foliage. “Do you hear
inches (five centimetres) from
performing a series of ‘push-ups’, that? Cane Toad!”
snout to vent, momentarily darts
and presenting his bright yellow-
out of the grasses where it has
orange dewlap. Deciding that
I think I detect a tinge of disgust in been sunning. The pallid, hour-
discretion is the better part of
Renata’s voice. As it was in
glass-shaped spots stippling its
Australia, the Cane Toad (Rhinella body, neck to tail, seem to dance
valour, he then scuttles out of
marina) was originally introduced in the afternoon light. This species
sight!
‘Cane toads have multiplied
exponentially, and caused huge
problems for native wildlife.’
We continue on, surprised at how
much of the foliage has bounced
back. Renata wanders on ahead,
poking and prodding under rocks
and surface debris. A Caribbean
Hermit Crab (Coenobita
clypeatus), is discovered half-
concealed under a log. This
terrestrial species is also
commonly sold in the pet trade,
and can live for more than ten
years in captivity. Suddenly,
Renata halts again, “There’s a
tarantula in that hole. I’ll see if I
can get it out.”
1.
to the Caribbean to help eradicate
beetles from the main cash crop –
sugarcane – but these large
amphibians are now viewed as
nothing but pests. Capable of
laying strands of tens of thou-
sands of eggs, Cane Toads have
multiplied exponentially, and the
toxic compounds produced by
their parotoid glands have caused
huge problems for both native
wildlife and domestic animals.
Dogs, especially, commonly suc-
cumb to these potent bufotoxins.
The indigenous Amerindians of
Panama, the Emberas, still ‘milk’
is a trunk-crown ecomorph that is
most commonly observed in drier
forests on tree trunks up to 20
metres from the ground. As I
clutch the railing to catch my
balance, another small lizard
shoots by. This time it’s a Puerto
Rican Bush Anole (Anolis
pulchellus). With its long tail and
yellow-brown colour scheme, it
rather reminds me of the geckos
that dally on our back porch at
home, in the States. Anolis
pulchellus is a grass-bush
ecomorph, and the male’s distinc-
tive purple dewlap can be seen for