Why lizards 'anti-push'?

The lizard trained for the same reason as a guy to the gym: showing his strength. For lizards, or men too, the act of pushing or exercising means a warning: 'Please get out of my territory.'

The new study found that some lizards perform morning and afternoon habits to show their strength.

Jamaican male lizards of four different species greeted the morning with a powerful anti-push screen, the head bent and the colorful neck of the skin extending. They repeat this action at dusk.

According to Terry J. Ord, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University's Zoological Museum and University of California, Davis - other animals, from birds to reptiles or primates, mark the sunrise and sunset with many different sounds. But this is the first time that a species has been observed to mark their territory . The study is detailed in American Naturalist magazine.

Ord said: 'The lizard is a sensitive visual animal, so it is not surprising that they mark the territory by showing it as above. However, this finding is surprising because they were the first animals not to use sound at dawn and evening. '

My territory

Lack of what occupies small territories to search for food and other needs. Males occupy larger territories, in which they have the opportunity to get close to some females. Males use most of the day in the tree to perform their 'fitness' to warn other males.

Ord said: 'Like a person, if a good anti-push lizard, it shows that he has a very good physical condition. This display of power helps it to avoid intense and fierce encounters between male lizards. '

Opan belly lizard (Anolis opalinus) on the Blue Mountains, north of Kingston, Jamaica.Like other lizards, males are 'push-ups' throughout the day, but are most powerful at dawn or at sunset.(Photo by Terry J. Ord / Harvard University and University of California, Davis)

Ord filmed several males at many times of the day, from before dawn to dusk. He found that they were most active at dawn and about 2 hours later, and repeated before dark.

Ord said: 'This behavior is equivalent to downstairs at dawn and the darkness of sound-contacting animals'.

Ornithologists have conflicting ideas about why birds sing in the morning and evening. It could be territorial protection or conveying something about your environment. Ord considers his research to show that the display of the male lizard is primarily to mark the territory.

Hey, man!

Anyone watching an anti-push lizard may wonder if they are trying to scare the observer, or they just happen to be present at the right time. Ord thinks the second hypothesis seems correct.

He told LiveScience: 'We just happened to be there when they were doing their performance. This animal often shows up even when there are no other lizards around. However, according to my own experience, I think there is another lizard behind your shoulder that you don't see, and that's the object they aim for. '

However, anti-push action may also be a signal to us , Ord explained.

Antelopes also often let predators know that they know they're being watched, like to say, 'Hey man, there's no surprise at all. I am energizing, and I will escape if you move '.

Ord explains: 'In the case of antelopes, predators (like lions) give up on stalking them. Some argue that it may also be the reason why lizards' show off 'to us, although this is not yet confirmed.'