On 12 February 2023, Andy Chew visited Gardens by the Bay while some family members went shopping. Below is Andy Chew’s account of his encounter with a Brown Anole, Anolis sagrei.
As I was walking, I noticed a Brown Anole. It was so distinct from afar due to its dewlap, a colorful flap of skin below the neck that is stretched like a drum over a highly modified hyoid apparatus and used for territorial and mating displays among males.
When I zoomed in, I realised it was actually moulting/exfoliating and I decided to stay with it till the old skin was peeled off.
The anole will use its mouth or a rough surface to remove the dead skin and I was surprised it actually ate them. It was about 45 minutes later that most of the skin were removed and it disappeared after that.
It was such a joy observing this process!
Below are three composite pictures showing the anole sloughing off the skin moult with its mouth or rough surface.
This post is a cooperative effort between Birds, Insects N Creatures Of Asia and BESG to bring the study of birds and their behaviour through photography and videography to a wider audience.
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