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Anolis polylepis

Many-scaled Anole


Anolis polylepis

PETERS, 1874

Family: Dactyloidae
Order: Squamata
Class: Reptilia
Phylum / Division: Chordata
Kingdom: Animalia

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Records from Quepos


Description


Anolis polylepis, the many-scaled anole or Golfo-Dulce anole, is a lizard endemic to the Gulf of Dulce area of Costa Rica.

 A brown and white speckled lizard with an orange-yellow dewlap, made of erectile cartilage, that extends from their throat. Their toes are covered with structures that allow them to cling to many different surfaces using the van der Waals force. Their tails have the ability to break off at special segments in order to escape predators or fights. The tail itself continues to wriggle strongly for some minutes after detaching. This ability is known as autotomy. The anoles are also diurnal, which means that they are active during the daytime.

Behavior: They are athletic creatures that run fast, and jump many times their length. They can also climb straight up almost any surface at blinding speed. They usually sit downward. Seeing a potential prey they dart down towards it. They display their dewlap and bob their head to attract sexual partners and to mark their territory.
They feed on spiders and insects like cockroaches and mosquitoes.

Source: Wikipedia, article Anolis polylepis. Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Accessed on 18/07/2026.





Geographic distribution


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Species photographs

Last published photographs

Foto
Photography ID: 556450
  Adult

Quepos
Puntarenas
Costa Rica
07/14/2023
Glauco Oliveira



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Page 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
191350914/07/2023Costa RicaPuntarenasParque Nacional Manuel Antonio, QueposGlauco Oliveira
Page 1

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Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. Many-scaled Anole (Anolis polylepis) – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 20/09/2026.