Jamaican lizards' shows of strength mark territory at dawn, dusk
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Anolis lineatopus: Jamaican gray anole, observed near Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Credit: Terry J. Ord/Harvard University and University of California, Davis
What does Jack LaLanne have in common with a Jamaican lizard? Like the ageless fitness guru, the lizards greet each new day with vigorous push-ups. That's according to a new study showing that male Anolis lizards engage in impressive displays of reptilian strength -- push-ups, head bobs, and threatening extension of a colorful neck flap called a dewlap -- to defend their territory at dawn and dusk.
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