Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Our Class Mascot: Anolis carolinensis

Our class mascot should be the omnipresent Carolina anole or Anolis carolinensis not because it is the most amazing animal but because it is such a big part of the studies of every South Carolina herpetologist. Carolina anoles are the most common herp in all of South Carolina and many people who grew up in the south can remember chasing and catching these little critters when they were younger. When we as a class go out into the field to pursue large and interesting herps everyone stumbles across an anole scampering across the ground or a tree. A mascot should not be the craziest or meanest animal in the area but rather the most common and recognizable animal. That sums up the Carolina anole, a creature that can be found from porches to walls and from forest trees to brush on the ground. For these reasons the small yet charismatic Caronlina anole should be our class mascot

1 comment:

Allison Welch said...

As someone who didn't grow up around anoles, I think they're pretty spectacular! Let's not let our familiarity with these little lizards blind us to their amazing traits -- bright and changeable colors, dewlap displays, toepads for amazing climbing abilities!