Male anoles will fight over prime territory to improve their chances of breeding, but females will do the same, presumably to protect the area the hunt in from competitors. Anoles are sit-and-wait predators, staying on a perch and then running off to eat insects based on the size and distance of potential prey. For example, they might eat an ant that is walking right next to them, but would only run a foot away to get a larger meal.
When we found a sick anole on the beach, we tried to put it on a number of nearby perches, but each time it was within another anole’s territory and the owner of the territory came to fight the sick anole. The fights were unusual because the sick anole was unable to retreat after being beaten. Fighting over hunting territory is a strong indicator that available territory is a limiting factor for anole population density.
