Response of Anolis Lizards to Food Supplementation in Nature

Behavioral responses of several species of Puerto Rican Anolis to live insect bait in nature indicated that virtually all adult lizards are constantly alert and ready to accept food at all times of day during the summer breeding season. These lizards are rarely satiated; in fact, stomachs are usually nearly empty. Adult male A. cristatellus that ate supplemental insect food (mealworms) for about a week in nature exhibited significant increases in lean growth with a pronounced enlargement of abdominal fat bodies and liver. Thus, the normal lack of fat reserves in these lizards during the breeding season is probably not a result of poor appetite or physiological inability to assimilate energy, but is due to the unavailability of sufficient food to allow such energy storage. In addition to their value for studying the seasonal fat cycle, it is suggested that techniques employed here may have general utility in studying the problem of food limitation and other saurian behavioral characteristics related to food supply in nature.