Yesterday afternoon we had another session for the Be the Change SXM/Nature Foundation SXM wildlife education and ranger training program. The order of business for the day was to conduct a census of Anolis lizards in an area where one introduced species has become established. The kids were great at spotting the lizards and identifying them by species. In two relatively open areas we surveyed, we found only the native Anolis gingivinus. In two more vegetative areas, we found the following mix:
Location 1: A. pogus (native): 9% A. gingivinus (native) 31% and A. cristatellus (introduced): 59%
Location 2: A. pogus: 4% A. gingivinus 50% and A. cristatellus 46%
Although it would be unwise to draw too many conclusions from a two-hour study, it seems that under certain conditions the introduced A. cristatellus is able to successfully compete with, and even out-compete our native species. The low numbers of A. pogus probably had more to do with the locations not being ideal habitat for this species. Because all three lizards occupy very similar ecological niches, A. cristatellus should be considered a potential threat to our local species (one of which lives only on St. Martin) and an eradication program should be considered.
Below are some photos we took during the census. If you can’t identify them by species, then there are 12-year-olds who know the local reptiles better than you do, and maybe you should download this book: http://www.sxmwildlife.com/publications/wildlife-of-st-martin-2nd-edition/
