by Inspired by natural history observations in Haiti and Costa Rica, a team of biologists from the University of Toronto and elsewhere conducted experiments documenting routine air-based underwater respiration in several distantly related semi-aquatic lizard species of the genus Anolis.
“It’s easy to imagine the advantage that these small, slow anoles gain by hiding from their predators underwater — they’re really hard to spot,” said co-author Dr. Lindsey Swierk, a researcher in the Department of Biological Sciences at Binghamton University.
“But the real question is how they’re managing to stay underwater for so long.”
In the study, Dr. Swierk and colleagues conducted experiments documenting routine air-based underwater respiration in several anole species.
They found that these lizards can respire underwater by rebreathing exhaled air that is trapped between their skin and surrounding water.
Source
“It’s easy to imagine the advantage that these small, slow anoles gain by hiding from their predators underwater — they’re really hard to spot,” said co-author Dr. Lindsey Swierk, a researcher in the Department of Biological Sciences at Binghamton University.
“But the real question is how they’re managing to stay underwater for so long.”
In the study, Dr. Swierk and colleagues conducted experiments documenting routine air-based underwater respiration in several anole species.
They found that these lizards can respire underwater by rebreathing exhaled air that is trapped between their skin and surrounding water.
Source
