Canopy Lizard

“True to its namesake, the Canopy Lizard (Polychrus gutturosus; also known as the Monkey-tailed Anole, Neotropical Chameleon, and Berthold’s Bush Anole) inhabits the canopies of lowland rainforests in Central America and northwestern South America. Due to its inconspicuous nature and the high forest canopies it inhabits, this lizard is seldom seen.

I took this photo in August of 2021 during my first trip to the Camaquiri Conservation Initiative (CCI) in Costa Rica. CCI was created as a place to conduct neotropical research, educate students, and engage the community, while promoting rainforest conservation in Costa Rica. This was the first organized trip to the newly established research station due to the global pandemic that began in the prior year. My Timber Rattlesnake graduate research advisor, herpetologist Dr. Thomas (Tom) LaDuke, led the trip. We were joined by many of my friends who also research Timber Rattlesnakes in Pennsylvania.

One friend, master’s student Lewis Wolff, often woke up early to explore the property. On the third morning of the trip, Lewis entered the commissary and said, “Hey Tom, can you come here? I found a weird anole.” Tom proceeded to take another drink of his morning coffee, then followed Lewis to the area on the property where he had found the anole. I followed shortly after. They were standing on a dirt road next to a tree, not far from the commissary. As I walked up, I observed Tom, near tears, admiring the lizard. He exclaimed, “I can go home now.” The “weird anole” Lewis found was identified as a Canopy Lizard. As it turns out, seeing a Canopy Lizard had been on Tom’s bucket list since his first trip to Costa Rica in the early ’90s, and it took over 50 trips to the country to finally see one. For such an unassuming name, I would have never known this lizard was such an incredible and rare find.

This trip is unforgettable for many reasons (including horseback riding, zip lining down a mountain in the rainforest, swimming under a waterfall, and a bout of food poisoning), but seeing this lizard was certainly a pinnacle of the trip. I am always amazed by the things people come across outdoors without realizing what they have discovered.

This photograph of the month submission is dedicated to the memory of Lewis and his wife Urszula’s son, Lukas Wolff. Lukas was an inquisitive and adventurous young boy who loved everything nature-related. He left his mark on all who were fortunate to have known him.” – Tianna Johnson

This month’s image was captured by Tianna Johnson. Thank you for sharing your photo with us!  Connect with Tianna and see more of her work – follow her on social media at the links below.

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