Habitat Estructural Nocturno Y Fidelidad Al Dormidero En Anolis Cristatellus Y Anolis Krugi

How and where Anolis lizards sleep may indicate strategies used to avoid predators during nocturnal inactivity. I surveyed two sites: the first, Anolis cristatellus in simpatry with A. krugi for a total of 69 nights, and the second, A. cristatellus in an adjacent area for 22 nights. Both species sleep in leaves, with their snout directed to the stem of the leaf and in an oblique head up orientation. In simpatry they show no spatial separation with respect to height. The lizards usually return to sleep within 2 m from the initial point. A. cristatellus showed a higher fidelity to a same leaf and within a 2 m area. A. krugi utilized their sleep-sites for short periods of time. I conclude that the flexibility of leaves can alert the lizards and allow them to escape faster through the branches when the snout is directed toward the stem of the leaf. The frequent returns to the same leaf or a same area indicate a high degree sleeping-site fidelity.