• The seldom-seen Culebra giant anole (a huge lizard),
  resides in the forested areas of Mount Resaca, in the
  Culebra Island, Puerto Rico.
• Chapman Grant first described it in 1931 as a
  brownish-gray lizard growing to about 160 mm from its
  snout to the vent.
• The Anolis Roosevelti was named after Teddy Roosevelt,
  who was the governor of Puerto Rico at the time.
• Grant first saw the specimen when a small child on
  the island brought it to him.
• In 1932 another specimen was collected by a local
  resident and brought to Grant.
• It was an adult specimen, which truly distinguished
  the two types of anoles found on the island from
  each other.
• That was the last specimen seen by a biologist.
• Since its discovery in the 30’s, the species has
  almost been ignored.
• The Culebra Island giant anole, known only from
  Culebra Island, seems to have become extinct in the
  wild and thus represents the first of Puerto Rico's
  reptiles known to have become extinct since
  Columbus's arrival.
• The natural history and ecology of the Culebra giant
  anole are unknown.
• The only reason the specie is still on the endangered
  species list is because of two specimens, which are
  located at the University of Michigan Museum of
  Zoology and at Harvard University.
• In life, the color is brownish-gray with two lines
  on each side, one from ear to groin, and the other from
  shoulder to groin.
• There is a distinct spot on the temple and the
  eyelids are yellow.
• The tail is yellowish brown and the throat-fan is
  gray except for the lower posterior quarter which is
  light yellow.
• The underside of the belly is whitish.
• In adult males the tail has a high and deeply
  scalloped fin along most of its length.
• The species was said to have a sloping loreal area,
  males lacking postanal scales and with smooth scales
  under the base of the tail.
• The Anolis Roosevelti has been seen feeding on the
  fruit of fig trees.
• This lizard is one that lives in trees and is
  restricted to the Ficus and Gumbo-limbo trees because
  they were the only ones that yield fruit in the area.
  There are still some small patches of these trees
  located on the steep northern slopes of the island.

WHY IS THIS REPTILE ENDANGERED??

• The major causes of the depletion of the Culebra
  Island Giant Anole are the destruction of their living
  environment and pollution of their habitat.
• It is presumed that the extensive deforestation
  of Culebra must have been the chief ecological problem.
• The Culebra Island is now becoming a tourist
  attraction and people are bulldozing the forests.
• The home where the original Anolis Roosevelti was
  found has now turned into condos and hotels.
• Pollution is also a big factor in the extinction
  of the species. With all of the pesticides that are
  sprayed on the fields in Puerto Rico, the forests are
  also sprayed by mistake.
• This creates plants and fruits that have chemical
  imbalances. The Culebra anole eats the fruit or plant
  and is killed.