Brown anole - a Cuban lizard in Hawaii

Photographed on Oahu at the Polynesian Cultural Center

Before humans showed up, Hawaii had exactly 1 native species of lizard.  That's not too surprising, given that Hawaii is almost 2500 km from the nearest continent.  It is understandable how birds and fish could make the trip, and even some mammals (1 bat and 1 seal species), but many terrestrial lifeforms could not survive the crossing, save mankind.

There is one species of lizard endemic to Hawaii, the Azure-tailed skink (click here to see more), which is now largely extinct.  The species was thought to be extinct but has since been rediscovered along ocean cliffs on Hamakua. This happened in 2017.

Since our arrival, the number of established breeding lizard populations has gone from 1 to 19 and counting.  You can see the list of non-endemic lizards in the image below.  I have seen three of these species.

I saw at least three individuals of the brown anole and a few of the gold dust day gecko (click here to see my blog on that species) while visiting the islands.  I have photographed the brown anole there but also in Texas where they were frequent visitors to my brother's house.  It seems that all these lizard species are capable of seeking out a living in any tropical environment.  Who knows how many species will be present in another 100 years.

The truth is that we are terrible at keeping foreign species out and looking after endemic ones.  The diversity of organisms on our planet is continually decreasing because of habitat loss, hunting, and invasive species release.  All of it could be prevented by being aware, careful, and actually intelligent.  

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com


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