Original subtitles

Neil Losin: PICTURE IN YOUR MIND

\h\hTHE CREATURES WE STUDY TO REVEAL HOW LIFE WORKS.

[GROWLS]

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hFRUIT FLIES, WHICH REVOLUTIONIZED GENETICS?

CHIMPANZEES, WHICH TEACH US

ABOUT THE ORIGINS \hOF INTELLIGENCE?

WHAT ABOUT MICE, WHICH HELP US \h\hUNDERSTAND HUMAN DISEASES?

WHATEVER YOU’RE IMAGINING,

IT PROBABLY ISN’T A LIZARD \hIN A SUBURBAN BACKYARD.

\h\hBUT RESEARCHERS STUDYING ONE SPECIAL GROUP OF LIZARDS

ARE DISCOVERING ANSWERS

\h\hTO BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT LIFE ON EARTH.

♪

\h\h\hHOW DO ANIMALS ADAPT TO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS?

HOW CAN SO MANY SPECIES \hCOEXIST IN ONE PLACE?

\h\h\h\h\hAND HOW FAST CAN EVOLUTION HAPPEN?

\hMan: WHEN SCIENTISTS HAVE HAD BIG QUESTIONS

ABOUT THE WORLD AROUND US,

\hTIME AND TIME AGAIN OVER THE LAST CENTURY,

\hTHEY’VE TURNED TO ANOLES TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS.

Neil: MY NAME IS NEIL LOSIN.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNate Dappen: AND MY NAME IS NATE DAPPEN.

NEIL AND I ARE BIOLOGISTS \hAND WILDLIFE FILMMAKERS.

WE’RE ON A YEAR-LONG JOURNEY,

TRAVELING FROM REMOTE FORESTS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND TINY ISLANDS

TO HIGH-TECH LABS \hAND BIG CITIES,

ALL IN PURSUIT OF THESE LIZARDS THAT DEFY OUR EXPECTATIONS.

AS THEY BATTLE THEIR RIVALS, \h\h\h\h\h\hEVADE PREDATORS,

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND SURVIVE IN HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS,

\h\h\h\hTHESE LITTLE LIZARDS SEEM TO MEET EVERY CHALLENGE

WITH AN INGENIOUS ADAPTATION.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE PROCESS, THEY REVEAL HOW SIMPLE RULES,

\h\h\h\h\h\hWHAT NEIL AND I CALL THE LAWS OF THE LIZARD,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCAN EXPLAIN THE COMPLEXITY OF NATURE.

YES, YES, YES, YES, YES!

OH!

YOU GOT HIM!

[LAUGHS]

Neil: ONE OF THE RAREST ANOLES \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE WORLD.

Nate: COME WITH US AND DISCOVER HOW THESE UNASSUMING LIZARDS

ARE CHANGING THE WAY WE THINK \h\h\h\h\hABOUT LIFE ON EARTH.

♪

Neil: EVERY LIZARD BIOLOGIST \h\h\hREMEMBERS THEIR FIRST,

THAT IS, THE FIRST LIZARD \h\h\h\hTHEY EVER STUDIED.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE LIZARD THAT TOOK NATE’S INNOCENCE

\h\h\hWAS A STRANGE COSTA RICAN SPECIES CALLED THE RIVER ANOLE.

NATE AND I BOTH GOT OUR PhDs \h\h\h\h\hSTUDYING LIZARDS.

AND OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS,

WE’VE BECOME COLLABORATORS,

BUSINESS PARTNERS, AND BEST FRIENDS.

THROUGH ALL OF THAT,

\h\hNATE HAS NOT SHUT UP ABOUT THAT RIVER ANOLE,

SO WE’RE STARTING OUR JOURNEY IN NATE’S OLD STOMPING GROUNDS

IN THE MOUNTAINS OF COSTA RICA

\h\h\hTO FIND THE LIZARD THAT WAS SO INTERESTING,

\h\hIT CONVINCED NATE TO BECOME A BIOLOGIST.

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNate: IF YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE A RIVER ANOLE,

THE FIRST THING THAT IT’LL DO

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIS SORT OF MOVE TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROCK

OR THE BRANCH THAT IT’S ON.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIF IT THINKS THAT YOU’RE A REAL THREAT,

IT WILL DO SOMETHING AMAZING.

♪

SOMETIMES, RIVER ANOLES \h\hREAPPEAR DOWNSTREAM

AFTER JUST A FEW SECONDS.

\h\h\h\h\hIT’S HARD TO PREDICT EXACTLY WHERE THEY’LL POP UP.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOTHER TIMES, THEY JUST SEEM TO VANISH.

WHAT ARE THEY DOING WHEN THEY DISAPPEAR?

Neil: ALMOST AS SOON AS WE GOT \hOUR CAMERA UNDER THE WATER,

WE WERE DOCUMENTING A BEHAVIOR

\hTHAT’S ESSENTIALLY UNKNOWN TO SCIENCE.

Nate: ONE FEMALE CLUNG \hTO A ROCK UNDERWATER

FOR ALMOST TEN MINUTES.

WE FIGURED SHE MUST BE \hHOLDING HER BREATH,

BUT WHEN WE WATCHED OUR FOOTAGE,

\hWE SAW SOMETHING THAT BLEW US AWAY.

LOOK CAREFULLY, AND YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE AIR BUBBLE

GROWING AND SHRINKING \h\h\h\h\hON HER HEAD.

\h\h\h\h\h\hIT LOOKS LIKE SHE’S REBREATHING HER AIR,

\h\h\hLIKE A DEEP-SEA DIVER RECYCLING HER OXYGEN SUPPLY.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hRESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

ARE NOW TRYING TO UNDERSTAND \hTHIS REBREATHING BEHAVIOR.

THE FIRST LAW OF THE LIZARD-- \h\h\h\h\h\hEXPECT SURPRISES.

♪

IT’S AN EXCITING START

TO A QUEST WE’VE BEEN THINKING \h\h\hABOUT EVER SINCE WE MET.

Neil: I MET NATE DAPPEN IN 2008 IN COSTA RICA

WHEN WE WERE BOTH STUDENTS

\h\h\h\h\h\hON THE SAME TROPICAL BIOLOGY COURSE.

Nate: WE WERE SO SIMILAR, \h\hIT WAS KIND OF SPOOKY.

AND SO, WE’RE THE SAME HEIGHT, \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSAME SIZE.

WE CAN FIT INTO EACH OTHER’S \h\h\hCLOTHES IF WE NEED TO.

\h\hAND WE WERE BOTH STUDYING EVOLUTION,

\h\h\h\hAND WE WERE BOTH REALLY INTO PHOTOGRAPHY,

AND SO WE EITHER HAD THE DECISION

TO DESTROY EACH OTHER \h\h\hOR JOIN FORCES.

Neil: LUCKILY FOR NATE,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWE DECIDED NOT TO DESTROY EACH OTHER.

INSTEAD, WE STARTED WORKING \h\hTOGETHER ON EXPERIMENTS,

\hPHOTOGRAPHY PROJECTS, AND EVENTUALLY ON FILMS.

Nate: AND WE SORT OF HAD THIS DECISION TO MAKE--

DID WE WANT TO CONTINUE ON \h\h\hAND BE RESEARCHERS,

\h\h\h\h\h\hOR DID WE WANT TO GO INTO FILM FULL TIME?

AND WE SORT OF DECIDED TOGETHER

THAT WE WERE GONNA \hTAKE THE PLUNGE

AND START MAKING SCIENCE FILMS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hPROFESSIONALLY.

\hNeil: EVER SINCE, NATE AND I HAVE TRAVELED AROUND THE WORLD

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hMAKING FILMS ABOUT WILDLIFE AND SCIENCE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hONE FILM WE’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO MAKE

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIS THE STORY OF THESE LITTLE CREATURES

\hTHAT HAVE HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON OUR UNDERSTANDING OF LIFE.

\hWE WANTED TO TELL THE STORY OF ANOLES.

Nate: WE’VE ALL SEEN \h\h\hDOCUMENTARIES

WITH LIONS AND SHARKS \h\h\h\hAND ELEPHANTS,

BUT NONE OF THOSE SPECIES

\h\h\hHAVE HAD REMOTELY THE SAME KIND OF IMPACT

ON OUR UNDERSTANDING OF BIOLOGY AS ANOLES HAVE.

\hNeil: FROM EVOLUTION TO ECOLOGY, GENETICS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hPHYSIOLOGY, EVEN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY.

♪

SO, WHAT ARE ANOLES?

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHEY’RE A GROUP OF CLOSELY RELATED LIZARD SPECIES

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT LIVE ALL OVER THE AMERICAN TROPICS.

THERE ARE MORE THAN 400 SPECIES OF ANOLES

WITH A WIDE RANGE OF COLORS, \h\h\hSIZES, AND BEHAVIORS.

BUT DESPITE ALL THIS VARIATION,

ANOLES SHARE TWO TRAITS THAT SET THEM APART FROM OTHER LIZARDS,

\h\h\h\h\hAND THAT’S THE DEWLAP, WHICH IS A COLORFUL FLAP OF SKIN

THAT EXTENDS FROM THE THROAT,

AND STICKY, ADHESIVE TOE PADS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hON THEIR FEET,

\h\h\hWHICH ALLOW THEM TO CLIMB ON SMOOTH SURFACES LIKE LEAVES.

\h\h\h\hSOME OTHER LIZARDS HAVE DEWLAPS OR TOE PADS,

BUT ONLY ANOLES HAVE BOTH.

\h\h\hNate: THE DEWLAP IS USED TO COMMUNICATE

\h\h\h\hWITH MEMBERS OF THE SAME SPECIES.

\h\h\h\hMALES USE IT TO TELL OTHER MALES,

"HEY, THIS IS MY TERRITORY. \h\h\h\hDON’T MESS WITH ME,"

OR THEY USE IT TO SHOW FEMALES, "HEY, COME OVER HERE,

I’VE GOT THIS GREAT TERRITORY, \hAND I’M REALLY ATTRACTIVE."

Neil: TO WARD OFF A POTENTIAL RIVAL,

\h\hA MALE ANOLE WILL PERFORM A SORT OF RITUALIZED DISPLAY.

HE’LL DO PUSH-UPS,

AND HE’LL FLASH HIS DEWLAP.

\h\h\hIF THAT DOESN’T INTIMIDATE HIS RIVAL,

THEIR ENCOUNTER CAN ESCALATE \h\h\hINTO A VIOLENT BATTLE.

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIF THE MALE CAN DEFEND HIS TERRITORY,

HE’LL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES \h\h\h\hTO COURT FEMALES

AND, IF HE’S LUCKY, \hA CHANCE TO MATE.

♪

\h\h\h\hNate: ANOLES ARE FIERCE HUNTERS THAT CHASE DOWN AND EAT

\h\h\h\h\h\hALMOST ANYTHING THAT FITS IN THEIR MOUTHS...

FROM INSECTS AND SPIDERS

TO OTHER LIZARDS,

\h\h\h\h\hEVEN MEMBERS OF THEIR OWN SPECIES.

♪

ONE THE MOST SURPRISING THINGS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hABOUT ANOLES

IS THAT GENERATIONS \h\h\hOF SCIENTISTS

\hHAVE DEDICATED THEIR LIVES TO STUDYING THESE CRITTERS.

\h\h\hTO UNDERSTAND WHY, WE NEED TO INTRODUCE YOU

TO THE MAN AT THE CENTER \hOF THE ANOLE UNIVERSE.

Man: IF YOU MENTION \hANOLES TO ANYBODY,

THEY’RE GOING TO THINK \h\hOF JONATHAN LOSOS.

\h\h\h\h\hMan: FIRST PERSON THAT JUMPS TO MIND IS JONATHAN LOSOS.

Man: JONATHAN LOSOS.

Man: JONATHAN LOSOS.

Woman: JONATHAN LOSOS.

\h\h\h\h\hMan: YEAH, I WOULD SAY JONATHAN LOSOS IS THE BOB DYLAN

OF ANOLE LIZARD BIOLOGY.

Woman: THE LEONARDO DA VINCI.

Man: THE GODFATHER.

Woman: THE JOHN LENNON.

Man: THE BARACK OBAMA.

Man: THE...

...ALBUS DUMBLEDORE \hOF LIZARD BIOLOGY.

\h\h\h\h\h\hMan: AND JONATHAN HAS LITERALLY WRITTEN THE BOOK

ON, ON ANOLE BIOLOGY.

\hJonathan Losos: THE TWO MOST COMMON WAYS OF PRONOUNCING IT

ARE "AN-OLE" AND "UH-NOLE."

AND THERE’S NO RIGHT OR WRONG.

\h\h\h\h\hAND I ACTUALLY GO BACK AND FORTH, EITHER ONE,

FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON.

\h\h\h\hMan: I MEAN, HE JUST REALLY LOVES ANOLIS LIZARDS.

HE JUST ALSO HAPPENS TO BE \h\hA BRILLIANT SCIENTIST.

\h\h\h\h\hNate: WE CAUGHT UP WITH JONATHAN IN COSTA RICA

\h\h\hTO FIND OUT HOW HIS NAME BECAME SYNONYMOUS WITH ANOLES.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hJonathan: THERE’S A PICTURE OF ME

WHEN I WAS ABOUT EIGHT IN MIAMI,

\h\hAND I’D JUST CAUGHT A, A LITTLE GREEN ANOLE.

\hIT’S A PICTURE OF ME LOOKING VERY DOOFY WITH A GREEN ANOLE,

SO I GO WAY BACK WITH THEM.

Nate: IT SOUNDED LIKE DESTINY

THAT JONATHAN WOULD BECOME \h\h\hAN ANOLE RESEARCHER.

\hJonathan: AND SO I’VE BEEN STUDYING ANOLES EVER SINCE.

Nate: AND DO YOU KNOW \hANY GOOD ANOLE PUNS?

Jonathan: WELL, ONLY ONE.

IT’S ANOLE-Y, BUT A GOODIE.

[IMITATES RIMSHOT]

Neil: OH!

\h\hNate: I FIRST MET JONATHAN WHEN I WAS A GRADUATE STUDENT,

AND HE TRIED TO CONVINCE ME \h\h\h\h\h\hTO STUDY ANOLES.

Jonathan: I REMEMBER THAT.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hI SAID, THE GUY’S LIVING IN MIAMI,

AND HE WANTS TO GO TO SPAIN \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO DO HIS PhD

WHEN THERE ARE ANOLES \h\h\hIN HIS BACKYARD.

CRAZY MAN!

\h\hNate: I KNOW, BUT WHAT I DID INSTEAD IS I CONVINCED THIS GUY.

Neil: HE PAID IT FORWARD.

Jonathan: WELL, ALL RIGHT. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hEXCELLENT.

\hSO, FAILURE, SUCCESS. THAT’S HOW I LOOK AT IT.

Neil: I SPENT THREE YEARS STUDYING ANOLES IN MIAMI,

WHERE THEY’RE JUST PART OF LIFE.

YOU’D RUN INTO PEOPLE-- \hJOGGERS, DOG WALKERS-

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND MOST PEOPLE HAVE SOME AWARENESS OF ANOLES.

BUT PEOPLE ARE USUALLY SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT I’M NOT JUST

THIS ONE RANDOM WEIRDO OUT THERE IN THE PARK,

\hBUT THERE ARE ACTUALLY HUNDREDS OF BIOLOGISTS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hINCLUDING SOME OF THE TOP SCIENTISTS IN THE WORLD,

\h\h\h\h\hWHO ARE STUDYING THESE PARTICULAR LIZARDS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hJonathan: IT’S HARD TO KNOW FOR SURE

HOW MANY PAPERS ON ANOLES HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED OVER THE YEARS.

I WOULD GUESS 5,000, \h\h\hMAYBE 10,000.

Nate: SO, A LOT OF PEOPLE \h\h\h\h\h\hSTUDY ANOLES,

\h\h\h\hBUT WHERE DOES THE ANOLE STORY BEGIN?

A GOOD PLACE TO START IS

THE WORLD’S LARGEST COLLECTION \h\hOF REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS

AT THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL \hMUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

Kevin de Queiroz: WE HAVE \hALMOST 600,000 SPECIMENS

OF AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES.

OF THOSE 600,000,

ABOUT 18,000 OF THEM ARE ANOLIS LIZARDS.

Neil: THESE SCIENTIFIC \hCOLLECTIONS ARE LIKE

\hA COMBINATION DICTIONARY AND ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIFE ON EARTH.

\h\h\h\hTHEY SHOW SCIENTISTS WHAT SPECIES LOOK LIKE TODAY

AND HOW THEY’VE CHANGED \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOVER TIME.

UNFORTUNATELY, ANOLE FOSSILS \h\h\h\hARE INCREDIBLY RARE,

SO, UNTIL RECENTLY, THE FOSSIL RECORD DIDN’T SHED MUCH LIGHT

ON THE ANCIENT HISTORY \h\h\h\h\h\hOF ANOLES.

\h\hBUT ALL THAT CHANGED WITH RECENT DISCOVERIES

ON THE ISLAND OF HISPANIOLA.

Kevin: THERE’S A FAMOUS \h\h\h\h\hAMBER INDUSTRY

THAT’S BEEN GOING ON THERE \h\h\h\h\hFOR A LONG TIME.

THEY’RE USED FOR JEWELRY,

\hBUT OCCASIONALLY YOU FIND BABY LIZARDS IN THERE, TOO.

\h\h\h\h\hNate: ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS I’VE EVER SEEN

WAS A 20-MILLION-YEAR-OLD ANOLE TRAPPED IN AMBER.

THERE WERE BUBBLES IN THE STONE

THAT TRULY CONTAINED THE AIR \hTHAT THAT LIZARD BREATHED.

THESE LIZARDS TRAPPED IN AMBER

\h\h\h\h\hSHOW US THAT ANOLES HAVE BEEN LIVING AND EVOLVING

ON THE ISLANDS OF THE CARIBBEAN FOR TENS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS.

THAT HISTORY IS PRESERVED

IN THE JARS THAT LINE THE WALLS OF THESE COLLECTIONS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hLOOK CLOSELY, AND YOU’LL START TO APPRECIATE

\hTHAT THESE LITTLE LIZARDS ARE THE KEY TO A BIG STORY--

\hTHE STORY OF LIFE AND HOW IT EVOLVES.

\h\hTO DISCOVER THE SECRETS THAT ONLY ANOLES CAN REVEAL,

WE NEED TO FOLLOW \hIN THE FOOTSTEPS

OF GENERATIONS OF SCIENTISTS.

WE NEED TO GO TO THE CARIBBEAN.

\h\h\h\h\h\hHERE IN PUERTO RICO, A WORLD OF SURPRISES IS WAITING.

\hNeil: IN THE CARIBBEAN, LAND COMES IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES.

IF YOU VISIT THE BIGGEST ISLANDS IN THE CARIBBEAN,

THE FIRST THING YOU’LL NOTICE

IS THAT THEY’RE CRAWLING \h\h\h\h\h\hWITH ANOLES.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hLOOK CLOSELY, AND YOU’LL SEE THAT THESE ANOLES

COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTOO.

AND JUST LIKE BODYBUILDERS \h\h\h\h\hAND BALLERINAS,

AN ANOLE’S ANATOMY CAN TELL US A LOT

ABOUT HOW IT MAKES A LIVING.

STEP INTO A PUERTO RICAN FOREST, AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT I MEAN.

YOU WON’T HAVE TO WAIT LONG \h\hTO SEE YOUR FIRST ANOLE.

MAYBE IT’LL BE A BROWN ANOLE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWITH LONG LEGS

ON THE TRUNK OF A TREE.

HIGHER IN THE TREE,

YOU MIGHT FIND A GREEN ANOLE \h\h\h\h\hWITH SHORTER LEGS

CLIMBING IN THE LEAVES \h\h\h\hAND BRANCHES.

AND DOWN BY YOUR FEET, AN ANOLE WITH A LONG TAIL AND STRIPES

THAT DISAPPEARS INTO THE GRASS \h\h\h\hIF YOU GET TOO CLOSE.

HIGH IN THE CANOPY, \h\hIF YOU’RE LUCKY,

\h\h\h\hYOU MIGHT SEE A MASSIVE GREEN ANOLE

\hWITH STRONG JAWS AND HUGE TOE PADS.

AND IF YOU SIT REALLY STILL, YOU COULD SPOT A TINY ANOLE

WITH A SHORT TAIL \hAND STUBBY LEGS

CLINGING TO THE SMALLEST TWIGS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE FOREST.

ALL OF THESE ANOLES

\hLIVE SIDE BY SIDE HERE IN PUERTO RICO,

\h\h\h\hBUT THEY AREN’T JUST RANDOMLY SCATTERED ALL OVER.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHEY SPECIALIZE, SO YOU TEND TO FIND EACH TYPE

IN A DIFFERENT PART \h\h\hOF THE FOREST.

SOME LOW, SOME HIGH.

SOME ON THE TREE TRUNKS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND OTHERS OUT ON THE SMALLEST TWIGS.

\h\hHOP OVER TO A SECOND ISLAND, AND THE PATTERN BECOMES CLEARER.

HERE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC,

THE ANOLE SPECIES ARE DIFFERENT THAN THE ONES IN PUERTO RICO,

\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT LOOK AROUND, AND IT’LL FEEL LIKE DEJA VU.

\h\hYOU’LL FIND ANOLES IN ALL THE SAME PLACES

YOU SAW THEM IN PUERTO RICO--

LONG-LEGGED BROWN ANOLES \h\hON THE TREE TRUNKS,

\h\h\hANOLES WITH LONG TAILS AND STRIPES IN THE GRASSES,

\h\h\h\hGIANT GREEN ANOLES IN THE CANOPY, AND SO ON.

THE SPECIES PLAYING THESE ROLES ARE DIFFERENT,

BUT THEY LOOK STRIKINGLY SIMILAR BETWEEN ISLANDS.

IT’S ALMOST AS IF DIFFERENT \h\h\h\h\hLOOK-ALIKE ACTORS

WERE PERFORMING THE SAME SHOW.

ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hANOLES THAT LIVE IN THE SAME PART OF THE FOREST

\h\h\hSHARE SIMILAR ANATOMICAL FEATURES,

NO MATTER WHICH ISLAND \h\h\h\hTHEY INHABIT.

IT’S SUCH AN UNUSUAL PATTERN

\h\h\h\h\hTHAT ANOLE RESEARCHERS INVENTED A WORD TO DESCRIBE IT.

THEY CALLED THESE ANOLE TYPES

THAT REPEAT FROM ISLAND \hTO ISLAND "ECOMORPHS."

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hJonathan: THE ECOMORPHS ARE NAMED

FOR WHERE IN THE ENVIRONMENT \h\hYOU USUALLY FIND THEM--

TRUNK GROUND,

TRUNK,

TRUNK CROWN,

THE CROWN GIANT,

TWIG,

AND GRASS BUSH.

Neil: CUBA, HISPANIOLA, JAMAICA, AND PUERTO RICO

EACH HAVE DIFFERENT SPECIES,

\hBUT THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME ECOMORPHS.

THE QUESTION IS, WHY DO LIZARDS LIVING IN THE SAME HABITAT

BUT ON DIFFERENT ISLANDS \h\h\h\hLOOK SO SIMILAR?

\h\hJonathan: WHY DO THE ONES NEAR THE GROUND HAVE LONG LEGS

AND THE ONES UP IN THE TREES \h\h\h\h\h\hHAVE SHORT LEGS?

WHY UP IN THE TREE

DO THEY HAVE BIG TOE PADS \hAND THEY’RE OFTEN GREEN

AND THE ONES DOWN ON THE GROUND

\hHAVE SMALLER TOES PADS AND ARE BROWN IN COLOR?

Nate: JONATHAN SUSPECTED \h\hTHAT EACH ECOMORPH’S

ANATOMICAL FEATURES \hHELPED IT SURVIVE

IN A PARTICULAR PART \h\h\hOF THE FOREST.

\hHE HATCHED AN INGENIOUS PLAN TO PUT THIS IDEA TO THE TEST.

Jonathan: THE WAY WE TEST THAT

IS BASICALLY BY HAVING \hTHE LIZARD OLYMPICS.

\hNate: JONATHAN CAPTURED 15 DIFFERENT ANOLE SPECIES

IN PUERTO RICO AND JAMAICA,

AND HE BROUGHT THEM INTO THE LAB

\h\h\h\h\h\hTO MEASURE THEIR SPRINTING SPEED,

JUMPING ABILITY,

AND TOE PAD CLINGING POWER.

THE SPECIES THAT LIVE \h\hHIGH IN THE TREES,

\hTHE TRUNK CROWNS AND CROWN GIANTS,

HAVE THE BIGGEST TOE PADS.

THESE TOE PADS HELP THEM STICK TO SMOOTH SURFACES LIKE LEAVES

\h\h\h\hSO THEY DON’T FALL OUT OF THE TREES.

TRUNK GROUND ANOLES \h\hHAVE LONG LEGS,

\h\h\hWHICH HELP THEM JUMP FAR AND RUN FAST ON FLAT SURFACES.

THESE ARE CRITICAL SKILLS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hFOR A LIZARD

\h\hTHAT HAS TO CAPTURE PREY AND ESCAPE PREDATORS ON THE GROUND.

\hJONATHAN’S LIZARD OLYMPICS CONFIRMED WHAT HE SUSPECTED,

THAT EACH ECOMORPH \hHAS ADAPTATIONS

\h\h\hTHAT HELP IT MOVE THROUGH A DIFFERENT PART OF THE FOREST.

Jonathan: WE DID FIND ONE INTERESTING TWIST

WE DIDN’T EXPECT.

WE THOUGHT THAT LIZARDS \h\h\h\hWITH SHORT LEGS

\h\hWOULD BE FASTER ON NARROW SURFACES.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTURNS OUT THEY’RE NOT FASTER AT ALL.

Nate: THEY MAY NOT BE FAST,

BUT THE SHORT-LEGGED ANOLES \h\h\h\hOF THE TWIG ECOMORPH

DO HAVE AN ADVANTAGE \hON THIN BRANCHES.

THEY HARDLY EVER FALL.

IN CONTRAST, LONG-LEGGED ANOLES

\h\hHAVE REAL TROUBLE MANEUVERING ON TWIGS.

Jonathan: THEY REACH AROUND \h\h\h\h\h\hTO GET THE TWIG,

\hAND SOMETIMES THEY JUST MISS, AND THEY JUST FALL OFF THE TWIG.

Nate: FOR AN ANOLE,

BEING ABLE TO MOVE QUICKLY AND CONFIDENTLY THROUGH THE FOREST

MIGHT MEAN THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN A FULL BELLY \hAND AN EMPTY ONE,

OR EVEN BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.

Neil: IMAGINE AN ANOLE SPECIES \hLIVING DOWN NEAR THE GROUND.

JUST BY CHANCE, SOME HAVE GENES

THAT GIVE THEM LONGER LEGS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAN OTHERS.

THESE LONG-LEGGED LIZARDS \h\h\h\h\h\hCAN RUN FAST,

SO THEY’RE GREAT AT CATCHING PREY

AND ESCAPING PREDATORS \h\h\h\hON THE GROUND.

\h\h\h\h\h\hON AVERAGE, THESE LONG-LEGGED ANOLES

WILL PRODUCE MORE OFFSPRING \hTHAN SHORT-LEGGED ANOLES,

PASSING MORE OF THEIR GENES \hON TO THE NEXT GENERATION,

SO OVER MANY GENERATIONS,

\h\h\hTHE WHOLE SPECIES WILL EVOLVE LONGER LEGS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT’S EXACTLY HOW CHARLES DARWIN ENVISIONED

\h\h\h\h\hTHE PROCESS OF NATURAL SELECTION,

SO TO JONATHAN,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNATURAL SELECTION IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE FOREST

COULD EXPLAIN WHY EACH ECOMORPH EVOLVED ITS DISTINCTIVE TRAITS.

\hTHE PROBLEM WAS, NO ONE WAS THERE TO SEE EVOLUTION HAPPEN.

Jonathan: I ALWAYS COMPARE \h\h\h\hSTUDYING EVOLUTION

TO BEING LIKE A DETECTIVE STORY.

WE’VE GOT A WHODUNIT.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST? \h\h\h\hWHY DID IT HAPPEN?

WE CAN’T GO BACK IN TIME,

\h\hSO WE HAVE TO USE WHATEVER CLUES WE HAVE

TO PIECE IT ALL TOGETHER

\h\h\h\h\h\hTO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST.

Neil: SINCE EACH ISLAND \hHAS DIFFERENT SPECIES

BUT THE SAME ECOMORPHS,

THE BIG QUESTION IS WHETHER THESE ECOMORPHS EVOLVED ONCE

\h\h\h\hAND THEN SPREAD TO THE DIFFERENT ISLANDS

OR EVOLVED SEPARATELY \h\h\hON EACH ISLAND.

\h\hJonathan: TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THESE POSSIBILITIES,

\hWE NEED TO RECONSTRUCT THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY

OF ANOLES IN THE CARIBBEAN.

\h\h\h\h\hAN EVOLUTIONARY TREE IS A DIAGRAM THAT ILLUSTRATES

THE EVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF A SPECIES.

Neil: LIKE A REAL TREE,

AN EVOLUTIONARY TREE BEGINS \h\h\h\h\hAS A SINGLE STEM,

A SINGLE ANCESTOR SPECIES.

WHEN THAT ONE SPECIES SPLITS INTO TWO, THE STEM BRANCHES.

AS THE TREE GROWS, SOME BRANCHES DIE BACK AS SPECIES GO EXTINCT,

BUT OTHERS KEEP GROWING \h\h\h\h\hAND BRANCHING.

\h\h\h\hFOR A GROUP LIKE ANOLES, WITH HUNDREDS OF LIVING SPECIES,

FIGURING OUT THE EVOLUTIONARY \h\h\hTREE IS A DAUNTING TASK.

ONE TYPE OF EVIDENCE

\hTHAT HELPS SCIENTISTS BUILD EVOLUTIONARY TREES

IS SOMETHING YOU CAN FIND

INSIDE EVERY PLANT AND ANIMAL \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hON EARTH--DNA.

Jonathan: DNA CHANGES OVER TIME. IT EVOLVES.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE LONGER TWO SPECIES HAVE BEEN DIVERGING SEPARATELY,

THE GREATER THE DIFFERENCE \h\hWILL BE IN THEIR DNA,

AND SO BY SEQUENCING THE DNA \h\h\h\h\h\hOF MANY SPECIES,

\h\h\h\hYOU CAN BUILD AN EVOLUTIONARY TREE.

Neil: THE SHAPE OF THAT TREE, \h\hITS PATTERN OF BRANCHING,

CAN HELP US UNDERSTAND

\h\h\h\hHOW ANOLES EVOLVED AND SPREAD ACROSS ISLANDS.

AT ONE EXTREME,

\h\h\h\h\h\hALL THE ECOMORPHS COULD HAVE EVOLVED JUST ONCE,

\h\h\h\h\hTHEN SPREAD FROM ISLAND TO ISLAND.

AT THE OTHER EXTREME,

\h\hANOLES COULD HAVE SPREAD TO DIFFERENT ISLANDS FIRST,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND THEN EVOLVED INTO THE ECOMORPHS SEPARATELY

ON EACH OF THE FOUR ISLANDS.

\h\h\h\h\hNate: JONATHAN AND HIS COLLEAGUES COLLECTED DNA SAMPLES

FROM 55 SPECIES OF ANOLES

\hTO BUILD AN EVOLUTIONARY TREE THAT ENCOMPASSED EVERY ECOMORPH

ON ALL FOUR ISLANDS.

Jonathan: HAD THE ECOMORPHS TRULY EVOLVED INDEPENDENTLY

ON DIFFERENT ISLANDS?

WELL, THE DNA SHOULD TELL US.

Nate: THE TREE GAVE THEM \hAN ASTONISHING ANSWER.

DESPITE ALL THE VARIATION \h\h\h\h\h\h\hAMONG THEM,

ANOLES LIVING ON THE SAME ISLAND

WERE MORE CLOSELY RELATED \h\h\h\h\h\hTO EACH OTHER

\hTHAN TO SPECIES ON OTHER ISLANDS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hEVEN THE ONES THAT LOOKED STRIKINGLY SIMILAR.

THIS MEANT THAT ANOLES

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHAD COLONIZED THE DIFFERENT ISLANDS FIRST

AND THEN EVOLVED ON EACH ISLAND

INTO A VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL \hCOMMUNITY OF ECOMORPHS.

Jonathan: NO ONE COULD EVER \h\hARGUE ABOUT THAT AGAIN.

THEY EVOLVED INDEPENDENTLY \h\h\h\h\hON EACH ISLAND.

Nate: THESE SCIENTISTS \h\h\h\h\hHAD REVEALED

ANOTHER LAW OF THE LIZARD--

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWHEN THEY LIVE IN THE SAME TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT,

\hDIFFERENT SPECIES EVOLVE SIMILAR TRAITS TO SURVIVE

AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.

\h\h\h\hJonathan: WELL, PEOPLE WERE VERY EXCITED

WHEN THIS RESULT CAME OUT

\h\h\h\hBECAUSE IT SHOWED THAT EVOLUTION DOES REPEAT ITSELF,

THAT THERE ARE RULES \h\h\hTO EVOLUTION.

Nate: MANY SCIENTISTS THOUGHT \h\hTHAT NATURE WAS SO COMPLEX

\h\hAND EVOLUTION UNFOLDED OVER SUCH LONG TIMESCALES

\hTHAT YOU’D RARELY SEE THE SAME OUTCOME TWICE.

\hJonathan: THEY SUGGESTED THAT IF YOU COULD SOMEHOW

REPLAY THE TAPE OF LIFE,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hYOU WOULD GET A DIFFERENT OUTCOME EVERY TIME.

\hBUT HERE YOU GOT THE SAME OUTCOME FOUR TIMES IN A ROW

ON DIFFERENT ISLANDS.

\hNate: JONATHAN DECIDED TO DIG DEEPER INTO THIS INTRIGUING IDEA

THAT EVOLUTION WAS PREDICTABLE.

Jonathan: IT WOULD BE GREAT TO ACTUALLY DO AN EXPERIMENT

TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS

\hTHAT NATURAL SELECTION DRIVES THE EVOLUTION OF THESE FEATURES.

Nate: JONATHAN WAS \hABOUT TO VENTURE

INTO NEW SCIENTIFIC TERRITORY \h\h\h\hAND DISCOVER SOMETHING

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT DARWIN NEVER WOULD HAVE IMAGINED.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hJonathan: IT’S A LITTLE-KNOWN FACT

\h\h\hTHAT CHARLES DARWIN WAS A GREAT EXPERIMENTER,

\hBUT HE NEVER DID AN EXPERIMENT ABOUT HIS MOST IMPORTANT IDEA--

THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION \hBY NATURAL SELECTION.

AND THE REASON HE DIDN’T DO \hAN EXPERIMENT IS OBVIOUS.

HE THOUGHT THAT EVOLUTION \hMOVED INCREDIBLY SLOWLY,

GLACIALLY SLOWLY.

HE THOUGHT IT WOULD TAKE \h\h\hTHOUSANDS OF YEARS

\h\hTO LEAD TO CHANGES THAT WE COULD DETECT.

\h\hWELL, DARWIN WAS RIGHT ABOUT AN AMAZING NUMBER OF HIS IDEAS,

\h\h\hBUT THIS IS ONE IDEA ABOUT WHICH HE WAS WRONG.

Neil: IT TURNS OUT THAT ANOLES \h\h\h\hCAN SHOW US SOMETHING

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT DARWIN NEVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED--

WHAT EVOLUTION LOOKS LIKE \h\h\h\hAS IT’S HAPPENING.

\h\h\hTO SEE IT FOR OURSELVES, WE’RE HEADING TO THE BAHAMAS.

ON THE FOUR BIGGEST ISLANDS \h\h\h\h\hOF THE CARIBBEAN,

ANOLES HAVE EVOLVED TO THRIVE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE FOREST,

\h\h\h\hAND THEIR DNA REVEALS THAT THEY DID SO INDEPENDENTLY

ON EACH ISLAND.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHESE EVENTS TOOK MILLIONS OF YEARS,

BUT WHAT IF YOU COULD WATCH \h\h\h\h\hEVOLUTION HAPPEN?

\h\h\h\hCHARLES DARWIN THOUGHT THAT THE EARTH

CHANGED GRADUALLY OVER EONS,

AND SINCE PLANTS AND ANIMALS ADAPT TO THEIR ENVIRONMENTS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHE THOUGHT THE PROCESS OF EVOLUTION

HAD TO BE SLOW AS WELL.

BUT SOME ENVIRONMENTS ARE MUCH MORE DYNAMIC

THAN DARWIN IMAGINED.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE BAHAMAS HAVE HUNDREDS OF TINY ISLANDS

THAT OFTEN GET HIT \h\hBY HURRICANES.

\h\hHERE, SPECIES COLONIZE AND GO EXTINCT FROM YEAR TO YEAR.

\h\h\hTHAT MAKES THEM THE PERFECT LABORATORY

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO STUDY SURVIVAL AND ADAPTATION,

\h\hAND THAT’S WHAT BROUGHT ECOLOGIST ROB PRINGLE HERE.

Rob Pringle: YOU KNOW, IF YOU DO

YOUR BEST MALE LIZARD \h\h\h\hIMPERSONATION,

YOU MIGHT GET THE FEMALES \h\hTO COME CHECK YOU OUT.

Neil: OH, YEAH, SHOULD I GET \hDOWN AND DO SOME PUSH-UPS?

I WAS HELPING ROB CATCH ANOLES

FOR A MASSIVE EXPERIMENT \h\hON ANOLE EVOLUTION.

\hRob: EASIEST AND BEST WAY TO CATCH AN ANOLE IS TO NOOSE IT,

WHICH IS BASICALLY, IT’S LAND FISHING FOR LIZARDS, YOU KNOW?

SO, YOU TAKE A FISHING POLE,

AND YOU TIE A LITTLE SLIPKNOT \h\h\h\h\h\hAT THE END OF IT,

\h\hAND YOU TRY TO LOOP THAT AROUND THE HEAD OF A LIZARD,

AND THEN YOU PULL,

AND HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE A LIZARD ON THE END OF YOUR STICK.

♪

Neil: OH, LOOK AT THIS GUY!

Nate: YOU HAVE TO BRING IT UP \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO YOUR FACE.

Neil: OH!

Nate: OH [BLEEP] \hYOU ALL RIGHT?

WELL, I GOTTA SAY THAT WAS THE WORST LIZARD CATCH IN HISTORY!

Neil: SO, I GOT THE LIZARD.

\h\hAND I ALSO FELL THIGH-DEEP INTO A HOLE IN THE LIMESTONE.

BUT ME AND THE LIZARD ARE OKAY.

Rob: OH, THERE WE GO.

\h\h\h\hNeil: I’LL LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONALS FROM NOW ON.

Rob: WELL, YOU KNOW.

Neil: ROB AND HIS COLLEAGUES

\h\h\h\h\hBRING THE ANOLES BACK TO THEIR PORTABLE LAB

TO SAMPLE THEIR DNA \h\hAND TAKE X-RAYS

TO MEASURE THE LIZARDS’ BONES \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWITH PRECISION.

THEY’RE LOOKING FOR SIGNS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF EVOLUTION

TAKING PLACE NOT OVER MILLENNIA,

\hBUT DURING AN EXPERIMENT LASTING JUST A FEW YEARS.

\h\h\hAFTER YOU X-RAY HER AND TAKE HER MEASUREMENTS,

\h\h\hTHEN SHE’S GOING TO COME RIGHT BACK TO THIS SAME PERCH?

Rob: THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNeil: SHE’LL PROBABLY JUST THINK

IT WAS A REALLY WEIRD DREAM.

Rob: IT’LL JUST BE \h\hA WEIRD DREAM,

SOMETHING SHE’LL TELL \h\hHER FRIENDS ABOUT.

LIKE, "YOU GUYS WOULDN’T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED TO ME,"

AND THEN NONE OF THEM \h\hWILL BELIEVE HER.

Nate: ANOLE RESEARCHERS \h\h\h\hHAVE BEEN COMING

TO THE BAHAMAS FOR DECADES

BECAUSE IT’S A PERFECT PLACE \hTO STUDY LIZARD EVOLUTION.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hJonathan: IF YOU GET A SMALL ENOUGH ISLAND

\hTHAT YOU CAN STUDY THE WHOLE POPULATION

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND YET BIG ENOUGH THAT THEY CAN SURVIVE AND ADAPT,

IT’S ALMOST THE EQUIVALENT OF A LABORATORY TEST TUBE.

Nate: IN THE 1970s,

\hECOLOGIST TOM SCHOENER FOUND SMALL ISLANDS WITHOUT ANOLES,

AND HE ADDED ANOLES TO STUDY

HOW POPULATIONS GROW, SHRINK, \h\hAND EVENTUALLY GO EXTINCT.

SOME POPULATIONS DEFIED THE ODDS

AND CONTINUED TO THRIVE \h\h\h\hYEAR AFTER YEAR.

THESE SURVIVORS GAVE JONATHAN \h\h\h\h\hAN INTRIGUING IDEA.

\hWOULD THE LIZARDS ADAPT TO THEIR NEW ISLAND HOMES?

Jonathan: THEY HAD INADVERTENTLY SET UP AN EVOLUTION EXPERIMENT

BECAUSE THESE ISLANDS DIFFERED \h\hIN THEIR CHARACTERISTICS.

\h\h\h\h\hTOM SCHOENER HAD MOVED BROWN ANOLES

FROM A LARGER ISLAND, \h\h\h\h\hSTANIEL CAY,

WHERE THE LIZARDS LIVED \h\h\h\hON LARGE TREES,

TO THESE TINY LITTLE ISLANDS \h\hTHAT DIDN’T HAVE TREES.

\hTHEY HAD NARROW BUSHES AND, AND NARROW-STEMMED VEGETATION.

\h\hJUST LIKE TWIG ANOLES HAVING SHORT LEGS ON NARROW VEGETATION,

\h\h\h\h\hWE PREDICTED THAT THE BROWN ANOLES,

WHEN MOVED FROM A BROAD SURFACE TO A NARROW SURFACE,

WOULD EVOLVE SHORTER LEGS.

Nate: DID THE SAME RULES

THAT MADE EVOLUTION PREDICTABLE ON THE LARGE ISLANDS

OPERATE IN THE BAHAMAS, TOO?

AND IF SO, COULD WE WITNESS \h\h\h\h\h\hEVOLUTION HAPPEN

IN JUST 14 YEARS?

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hFEW BIOLOGISTS WOULD HAVE ASKED THIS QUESTION

BECAUSE MOST OF THEM \h\h\hSTILL THOUGHT

THAT ANIMALS EVOLVED TOO SLOWLY TO OBSERVE IN A HUMAN LIFETIME,

BUT JONATHAN SAW AN OPPORTUNITY

TO PUT THIS CONVENTIONAL WISDOM TO THE TEST.

Shane Campbell-Staton: A BIG PART OF BIOLOGY

IS ABOUT CREATIVITY, RIGHT?

AND ABOUT UNDERSTANDING, LIKE, \hWHAT IS THE RIGHT QUESTION?

THERE’S AN ARTISTRY THERE.

\h\h\hAND IF THAT’S AN ART, THEN JONATHAN IS A PICASSO.

\hNate: JONATHAN RETURNED TO TOM SCHOENER’S ISLANDS

IN THE 1990s WITH A NEW PLAN--

\h\h\h\hTO COMPARE THE ANATOMY OF THE NEW ISLAND POPULATIONS

\hAND THE ORIGINAL SOURCE POPULATION.

IF THE ANOLES WERE DIFFERENT, \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT WOULD SHOW

\h\h\h\hTHAT THESE POPULATIONS HAD EVOLVED IN JUST 14 YEARS.

Jonathan: AND THE RESULTS \h\hFLASHED ON THE SCREEN.

THE POPULATIONS WERE DIFFERENT. THEY HAD EVOLVED!

\h\h\h\hWELL, NEEDLESS TO SAY, THIS WAS INCREDIBLY EXCITING.

\h\hNate: THE ANOLES DIFFERED IN JUST THE WAY JONATHAN EXPECTED.

\h\h\h\hON THE ISLANDS WITH SLENDER BRANCHES,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE ANOLES HAD EVOLVED SHORTER LEGS,

\hAND THEY DID SO IN JUST 14 YEARS.

EVEN FOR ANOLES, WHICH CAN REPRODUCE AT ONE YEAR OLD,

14 YEARS IS INCREDIBLY FAST.

\h\hJonathan: OF COURSE, DARWIN WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY SURPRISED.

HE THOUGHT THAT EVOLUTION \h\h\h\hOCCURRED SO SLOWLY

THAT YOU COULDN’T \hPOSSIBLY SEE IT

UNTIL A THOUSAND YEARS \h\h\h\h\hHAD ELAPSED.

ONCE WE REALIZED THAT ANOLES

WOULD ADAPT RAPIDLY \hTO NEW CONDITIONS,

THAT OPENED OUR EYES TO OTHER \h\h\hEXPERIMENTS WE COULD DO.

\h\hNate: ANOLE RESEARCHERS COULD NOW ASK NEW QUESTIONS,

LIKE HOW DO PREDATORS \h\hAFFECT EVOLUTION?

AND THEY COULD ANSWER \h\h\hTHOSE QUESTIONS

NOT JUST BY DOING DETECTIVE WORK ABOUT THE ANCIENT PAST,

BUT BY DOING EXPERIMENTS

AND WATCHING EVOLUTION UNFOLD \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE PRESENT.

THAT’S WHAT ROB PRINGLE \h\h\h\hAND JASON KOLBE

ARE DOING IN THE BAHAMAS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hRIGHT NOW.

\h\h\h\hRob: SO, IT’S A, IT’S A GOOD PLACE TO BE

IF YOU’RE A, A BROWN ANOLE.

Nate: LET’S GO PAINT \h\h\hSOME LIZARDS!

\h\h\hRob: LET’S GO PAINT SOME LIZARDS!

Nate: ALL RIGHT!

ROB SHOWED ME HOW TO MARK ANOLES

WITH NON-TOXIC, WATER-SOLUBLE \h\hPAINT FOR HIS EXPERIMENT.

\hRob: YEAH, THERE’S A TON OF LIZARDS ON THIS ISLAND.

Nate: THIS IS ALSO FUN.

Rob: YEAH, IT’S A LOT OF FUN!

Nate: IT’S LIKE SHOOTIN’ \h\hLIZARDS IN A BARREL.

Rob: SHOOTIN’ LIZARDS \h\h\h\h\h\hIN A TREE.

Nate: YES, IT’S KIND OF \h\h\hEXACTLY LIKE THAT.

[LAUGHTER]

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE LIZARDS WILL LOSE THESE PAINT MARKS

\h\h\h\hTHE NEXT TIME THEY SHED THEIR SKINS,

BUT THE PAINT DOESN’T NEED \h\h\h\h\h\hTO LAST LONG.

BY MARKING ALL THE ANOLES \h\h\hWE CAN FIND ONE DAY

AND RETURNING TO COUNT

THE MARKED AND UNMARKED ANOLES \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE NEXT DAY,

WE CAN ESTIMATE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ANOLES ON AN ISLAND.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hRob: LAST YEAR WE HAD UPWARDS OF 400 LIZARDS

ON THIS ISLAND.

\hNate: THIS POPULATION CENSUS HELPS THE RESEARCHERS MONITOR

HOW THE ANOLES ARE DOING \hON DIFFERENT ISLANDS.

\h\h\h\h\hAND ON SOME ISLANDS, THE ANOLES ARE IN REAL DANGER

BECAUSE ROB AND JASON HAVE ADDED ANOTHER LIZARD INTO THE MIX,

ONE OF THE BROWN ANOLE’S \h\h\h\h\h\h\hENEMIES--

THE CURLY-TAILED LIZARD.

♪

♪

\h\h\h\hNeil: IT TURNS OUT THAT CURLY-TAILED LIZARDS

DON’T JUST IMPACT THE NUMBERS \h\h\h\hOF ANOLES ON ISLANDS.

THEY ACTUALLY CAUSE \hNATURAL SELECTION.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hJason Kolbe: WITHIN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS

OF THE CURLY TAILS BEING THERE,

ANOLES WITH LONGER HIND LIMBS \h\h\h\hHAVE BETTER SURVIVAL,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND PRESUMABLY THAT’S BECAUSE THEY’RE FASTER

AT RUNNING ON THE GROUND

\h\h\h\h\hTO ESCAPE PREDATION FROM THE CURLY-TAILED LIZARD.

\h\h\h\h\h\hNeil: GRADUALLY, THE ANOLES BEGIN TO MOVE UP.

THEY SPEND LESS TIME \h\h\hON THE GROUND

\h\h\h\h\hAND MORE TIME IN THE SLENDER BRANCHES.

ONCE THEY’RE OUT OF DANGER \h\h\h\hFROM THE PREDATOR,

\h\h\hNATURAL SELECTION HAS A DIFFERENT EFFECT.

Jason: DURING THAT PERIOD, \h\h\h\hSELECTION REVERSES

AND FAVORS BROWN ANOLES WITH SHORTER HIND LIMBS

BECAUSE THEY’RE OCCUPYING \hTHESE NARROWER BRANCHES,

AND ANOLES WITH SHORTER LIMBS

\h\hCAN MOVE BETTER IN THAT ENVIRONMENT.

Neil: THESE EXPERIMENTS REVEAL \hANOTHER LAW OF THE LIZARD--

\h\h\h\hNATURAL SELECTION IS HAPPENING ALL THE TIME,

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND IT’S DRIVEN NOT ONLY BY THE ENVIRONMENT,

BUT ALSO BY OTHER SPECIES.

ONE SPECIES MORE THAN ANY OTHER

IS SHAPING THE NEXT ERA \h\hOF LIZARD EVOLUTION.

HOW ARE ANOLES ADAPTING \hTO THE AGE OF HUMANS?

\hTO FIND OUT, NATE AND I ARE HEADING TO MY BACKYARD, MIAMI,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO DISCOVER THE ASTONISHING ADAPTATIONS

OF THESE LITTLE LIZARDS \h\h\h\hIN THE BIG CITY.

\hNate: OUR JOURNEY HAS ALREADY SHOWN US

\h\h\h\hTHAT ANOLES ARE EVOLVING TO SURVIVE IN A CHANGING WORLD,

BUT NEVER IN THEIR HISTORY \h\h\h\hHAVE ANOLES FACED

\h\h\h\hA MORE PERILOUS OR UNCERTAIN ENVIRONMENT

THAN THE WORLD OF HUMANS.

Neil: LIVING IN MIAMI, I SEE ANOLES AROUND ME EVERY DAY,

BUT A LOT OF THE ANOLES \h\h\h\h\hI SEE IN MIAMI

DIDN’T ACTUALLY ORIGINATE THERE.

\hTHEY COME FROM ISLANDS ALL OVER THE CARIBBEAN.

\h\hNate: SOUTHERN FLORIDA IS A MELTING POT OF ANOLE IMMIGRANTS.

\h\hFLORIDA HAS ONLY ONE NATIVE SPECIES OF ANOLE,

\hBUT EIGHT OTHER SPECIES HAVE ESTABLISHED POPULATIONS HERE.

Neil: THEY GOT TO MIAMI EITHER \h\h\h\hTHROUGH THE PET TRADE

OR ACCIDENTALLY IN SHIPMENTS \hOF PRODUCE AND OTHER GOODS

COMING FROM THE CARIBBEAN.

Nate: HUMANS DON’T JUST BRING \h\h\h\hANOLES INTO THE CITY.

AS WE CONVERT WILD FORESTS \h\hINTO CONCRETE JUNGLES,

WE ALSO BRING THE CITY \h\h\h\h\h\hTO ANOLES.

Jason: WHEN ANOLES ARRIVE \h\h\h\h\h\hIN A NEW AREA,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHEY ENCOUNTER NOVEL TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTS,

AND SO THERE ARE NEW PREDATORS, THERE ARE NEW COMPETITORS.

\h\h\h\hMOST ANOLES LIVE ON THE TRUNKS OF TREES,

\h\h\hBRANCHES OF TREES, HIGHER UP IN THE CANOPY.

BUT IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT, \h\h\hMUCH OF THIS VEGETATION

HAS BEEN REPLACED BY BUILDINGS \h\h\h\hAND WALLS, LAMPPOSTS.

Nate: THOSE SURFACES CAN BE SMOOTHER AND HARDER TO CLIMB

THAN TREES AND ROCKS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND THAT’S NOT THE ONLY CHALLENGE OF CITY LIFE.

Jason: BY REPLACING \hNATURAL VEGETATION

\h\hWITH CONCRETE, ASPHALT, THEY CHANGE THE THERMAL ENVIRONMENT.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHEY’RE MUCH HOTTER THAN A COMPARABLE NATURAL AREA.

Nate: SINCE LIZARDS \h\h\hCAN’T REGULATE

THEIR BODY TEMPERATURES \h\h\h\h\h\hINTERNALLY,

THE HEAT OF THE CITY COULD ALSO THREATEN THEIR SURVIVAL.

\h\hJonathan: IN SOME CASES, THE CHALLENGES ARE TOO OVERWHELMING.

THEY JUST CAN’T DO IT,

\h\h\h\h\hBUT SOMETIMES THEY’RE ABLE TO SURVIVE

\hAND PERHAPS EVEN ADAPT TO THESE NEW CONDITIONS.

Neil: ONE OF THESE SURVIVORS IS THE PUERTO RICAN CRESTED ANOLE,

WHICH THRIVES IN CITIES THROUGHOUT PUERTO RICO.

RESEARCHERS KRISTIN WINCHELL \hAND SHANE CAMPBELL-STATON

WANT TO UNDERSTAND \hHOW THIS SPECIES

IS COPING WITH LIFE IN THE CITY.

\h\h\hKristin Winchell: THE OVERARCHING QUESTION

\h\h\h\h\hMY RESEARCH IS TRYING TO TACKLE IS

\h\hCAN HUMANS INFLUENCE THE COURSE OF EVOLUTION?

\h\h\h\h\hShane: HOW FAST CAN THESE ANIMALS CHANGE?

AND CAN THEY KEEP PACE

WITH HUMAN-MEDIATED CHANGES \h\h\h\hIN THE ENVIRONMENT?

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hKristin: I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DO GET CONFUSED

WHEN I’M WALKING AROUND \h\h\h\hIN URBAN AREAS.

I AM WALKING AROUND WITH A FISHING POLE,

WHICH IS VERY STRANGE.

I’M STICKING MY FISHING POLE UP TREES AND ON THEIR WALLS,

WHICH IS EVEN STRANGER,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND SO WE, WE GET A LOT OF QUESTIONS.

Neil: TO UNDERSTAND \h\hWHETHER LIZARDS

ARE ADAPTING TO CITY LIFE,

KRISTIN AND SHANE COLLECT ANOLES FROM URBAN AND NATURAL SITES

\h\h\h\h\hAND TAKE THEM BACK TO THEIR FIELD LAB

\hTO COMPARE THEIR ANATOMY AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE.

\h\h\h\hKRISTIN FOUND THAT, COMPARED TO FOREST LIZARDS,

URBAN LIZARDS HAD LONGER LEGS \h\h\h\h\hAND LARGER TOE PADS.

THE QUESTION IS, DO THESE TRAITS MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

TO FIND OUT, KRISTIN PLANNED \h\h\hA NEW LIZARD OLYMPICS

TO TEST THE ANOLES’ PERFORMANCE IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT.

\h\hTHE FIRST EVENT IN THIS COMPETITION?

URBAN AND FOREST LIZARDS \hSPRINTED ON RACETRACKS

WITH THREE DIFFERENT SURFACES.

Kristin: WE’RE RUNNING THEM \h\h\h\hON PAINTED CONCRETE,

ON BARK, AND ON UNPAINTED METAL,

\h\h\h\h\hAND SO WE’RE VERY INTERESTED TO SEE

IF THE FOREST LIZARDS CAN RUN \hAS FAST AS THE URBAN LIZARDS

ON THESE OTHER SUBSTRATES.

Neil: WHILE KRISTIN’S LIZARDS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSPRINTED

ON MINIATURE RACETRACKS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSHANE SET UP A LESS TRADITIONAL OLYMPIC EVENT

TO TEST HOW URBAN ANOLES COPE \h\hWITH THE HEAT OF THE CITY.

\h\h\h\h\hShane: REPTILES ARE COLD-BLOODED ANIMALS,

AND A LOT OF ASPECTS \h\hOF THEIR BIOLOGY

ARE LINKED TO TEMPERATURE.

\hTO FIGURE OUT HOW HOT A LIZARD CAN GET BEFORE IT STOPS WORKING,

WE GRADUALLY WARM THAT LIZARD,

AND WE PERIODICALLY FLIP IT \h\h\h\h\h\h\hONTO ITS BACK.

Neil: SHANE ISN’T HURTING \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE LIZARDS.

AS HE SLOWLY HEATS THEM UP,

THEY EVENTUALLY GET TOO HOT \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO RESPOND.

Shane: THE RIGHTING REFLEX \h\h\hIS SUCH A GOOD TEST

BECAUSE A LIZARD ALWAYS WANTS TO BE ON ITS FEET.

Neil: SHANE RECORDS \h\hTHE TEMPERATURE

AT WHICH THEY CAN NO LONGER \hTURN THEMSELVES BACK OVER,

\hAND THEN HE QUICKLY HELPS THE LIZARDS COOL BACK DOWN.

AFTER CAPTURING AND TESTING \h\h\h\hHUNDREDS OF ANOLES,

\h\h\h\h\hIT WAS TIME FOR SHANE AND KRISTIN

\h\h\h\hTO COMPARE THE LIZARDS FROM THE FOREST AND THE CITY.

ON AVERAGE, URBAN LIZARDS WERE ABLE TO TOLERATE TEMPERATURES

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT WERE ONE DEGREE CELSIUS HOTTER

COMPARED TO FOREST LIZARDS.

Kristin: A DIFFERENCE OF ONE DEGREE CELSIUS

MIGHT NOT SEEM LIKE A LOT,

\hBUT FOR A LIZARD, THIS IS A DIFFERENCE

OF BEING ABLE TO BE ACTIVE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hALL DAY LONG

\h\h\hAND HAVE ACCESS TO ALL OF THOSE MATES AND ALL OF THAT FOOD

\h\hTHAT YOU OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE TO GIVE UP

\h\h\hBECAUSE YOU’RE HIDING IN THE SHADE TRYING TO COOL DOWN.

Neil: THE URBAN LIZARDS ALSO \hHAVE AN ADVANTAGE RUNNING

ON THE SLICK SURFACES FOUND \h\hIN THE CITY ENVIRONMENT.

\h\hKristin: THE URBAN LIZARDS RUN FASTER ON ALL SUBSTRATES,

AND THESE DIFFERENCES \hARE MOST PRONOUNCED

\hON THE VERY SMOOTH VERTICAL SUBSTRATES,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hON THE METAL AND ON THE PAINTED CONCRETE.

THE ABILITY TO PERFORM WELL \h\h\h\hON THESE SUBSTRATES

\h\h\hHAS REAL IMPLICATIONS FOR THEIR SURVIVAL IN THIS HABITAT.

\h\h\hNeil: THESE LITTLE LIZARDS CONTINUE TO SURPRISE SCIENTISTS

WITH THEIR POWERS OF ADAPTATION,

EVEN IN FAST-CHANGING \h\h\h\hENVIRONMENTS.

KRISTIN AND SHANE’S DISCOVERIES

\h\h\h\hSHOW THAT THE ANOLES’ ANCIENT EVOLUTIONARY PLAYBOOK

\h\hSTILL HELPS THEM SURVIVE AND ADAPT, EVEN IN THE MODERN WORLD.

Nate: JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT \h\hOUR JOURNEY WAS OVER,

WE HEARD ABOUT A NEW DISCOVERY \hIN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC--

A NEW ANOLE SPECIES,

A TRULY BIZARRE LIZARD

THAT HAD CAUGHT SCIENTISTS \h\hCOMPLETELY OFF GUARD.

WE HAD TO SEE IT.

\h\hONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE WHO KNEW WHERE TO FIND IT

WAS LUKE MAHLER, THE SCIENTIST \h\h\hWHO FIRST DESCRIBED IT.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hLuke Mahler: IT’S AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY.

THIS IS A GIANT ANOLE THAT, THAT LIVES HIGH IN THE TREES

BUT IS STRIKINGLY SIMILAR \h\hTO A GROUP OF LIZARDS

PREVIOUSLY ONLY KNOWN FROM CUBA,

SO THIS, THIS ANOLE POTENTIALLY REPRESENTS A NEW ECOMORPH,

AND SO WE’RE HERE \hTO LOOK FOR IT.

Neil: LUKE TOOK US TO THE PLACE

\h\hWHERE HE FIRST SAW THIS MYSTERIOUS ANOLE.

\h\h\h\hLuke: YOU GET THIS SORT OF NEAT SPOT

\h\h\hWHERE THE TREES ARE DRY FOREST TREES,

BUT THEN YOU START GETTING \h\h\h\hTHE SPANISH MOSS,

LOTS OF LICHEN.

Nate: I’VE NEVER SEEN \hANY PLACE LIKE THIS.

THIS IS A TOTALLY BIZARRE, \h\h\hUNIQUE, COOL PLACE.

Neil: I’M "LICHEN" THIS ENVIRONMENT.

Nate: YEAH.

Luke: OH! THAT’S, THAT’S GOOD!

[LAUGHTER]

Nate: "I’M LICHEN THIS ENVIRONMENT."

Neil: LUKE TOLD US THAT

\h\h\h\hOUR BEST CHANCE OF FINDING THESE LIZARDS

WAS TO SEARCH FOR THEM AT NIGHT WHILE THEY WERE SLEEPING.

\h\h\h\hNate: I WILL FLIP OUT IF WE SEE THIS LIZARD TONIGHT.

Neil: IS THAT A GUARANTEE?

Nate: THAT I’LL FLIP OUT?

Neil: IS THAT A PROMISE?

Nate: I PROMISE. \hI’LL FLIP OUT.

Neil: AWESOME. I CAN’T WAIT.

Nate: THIS NEW SPECIES WAS

ONE OF THE MOST MYSTERIOUS \h\hLIZARDS IN THE WORLD,

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND WE WANTED TO BE THE FIRST FILM CREW TO FIND IT.

EASIER SAID THAN DONE.

\h\h\h\h\h\hLuke: YOU GOTTA BE IN THE RIGHT SPOT, GET LUCKY,

\h\h\hAND BE LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT THING.

Nate: FROM LUKE’S DESCRIPTION, \h\hWE KNEW WHAT TO LOOK FOR--

A GRAYISH MOSSY-LOOKING LIZARD

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSLEEPING ON A GRAY MOSSY BRANCH.

\h\hI’VE NEVER SEEN SO MANY TARANTULAS.

Luke: WELCOME TO MY WORLD.

[LAUGHTER]

[SIGHS]

Nate: AFTER SPENDING FIVE HOURS LOOKING AT TWIGS IN THE DARK,

YOU START SEEING THINGS \h\h\hTHAT AREN’T THERE.

I’M PRETTY SLEEPY.

IT HAS BEEN A LONG, UNSUCCESSFUL NIGHT.

\h\h\h\hNeil: OTHER THAN A FEW HUNDRED TARANTULAS

AND A TON OF BUG BITES, \h\h\h\hWE HAD NOTHING.

Nate: I THINK WE’RE \hGOING TO FIND IT,

JUST NOT TONIGHT.

\h\hNeil: WE STILL HAD ONE MORE NIGHT IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC,

\h\h\h\h\hONE LAST CHANCE TO BE THE FIRST FILM CREW

\hTO CAPTURE FOOTAGE OF THIS NEW SPECIES,

BUT IT WAS STARTING TO FEEL \h\h\h\h\hLIKE A LONG SHOT.

♪

Nate: IT WAS OUR LAST NIGHT

\h\hIN THIS REMOTE CORNER OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC,

\h\h\h\h\hOUR LAST CHANCE TO FIND AND FILM A LIZARD

THAT WAS BRAND-NEW TO SCIENCE.

WE WERE ALL A LITTLE NERVOUS.

Luke: SO, THE GOAL HERE \hIS IF YOU SEE A LIZARD

AND IT DOESN’T SEE YOU, \h\h\hLOOK AWAY FROM IT,

DON’T SCARE IT WITH YOUR LIGHTS, FLAG IT, RADIO OVER,

LET EVERYBODY KNOW.

♪

\h\hNeil: A FEW HOURS GO BY, AND LUKE GETS A CALL OVER THE RADIO.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hMan on radio: SO, WE GOT AN ANOLE UP HERE.

\h\hLuke: ALL RIGHT, I’LL BE RIGHT OVER.

OKAY, WHICH, WHICH, WHICH TREE?

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hYEP, THAT’S, THAT’S ANOLIS LANDESTOYI.

OKAY, WE GOT ONE.

Nate: A BABY?

Luke: WE GOT ONE.

Nate: WHERE IS IT?

Luke: I’LL SHOW YOU.

SO, WE’RE GOING TO BE CAREFUL \h\h\h\h\h\h\hNOT TO SPOOK IT.

\h\h\h\hUP. YOU CAN SEE THERE’S THAT WHITE SPOT.

Nate: OH, YEAH!

Luke: THAT’S IT.

IT’S A LITTLE JUVIE HANGING HEAD-DOWN WITH ITS TAIL UP.

Nate: HOW DID YOU SEE THAT?

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNeil: WHOA! IT’S TOTALLY DIFFERENT-LOOKING

FROM, THAN EVERYTHING ELSE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWE’VE SEEN.

\h\h\h\h\h\hNate: FIRST ANOLIS LANDESTOYI, MAN!

YEAH!

ALL RIGHT!

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSEEING THIS LIZARD FOR THE FIRST TIME WAS AMAZING,

BUT THEN REALITY HIT.

IT WAS DANGLING FROM A BRANCH \h\h\h30 FEET OFF THE GROUND,

WAY TOO HIGH FOR US TO FILM.

\h\h\h\h\hOUR ONLY CHANCE WAS TO WAIT UNTIL SUNRISE

\h\hAND HOPE THAT IT MOVED LOW ENOUGH THAT WE COULD CATCH IT.

HEY, I GOT AN IDEA. I GOT A GREAT IDEA.

LET’S PULL THE CAR OVER HERE

\h\h\h\h\hAND NOOSE HIM FROM ON TOP OF THE CAR.

Neil: WE BOTH GET ON THE ROOF.

\h\h\hNATE’S LOOKING THROUGH THE CAMERA SO THAT HE CAN GUIDE ME,

BECAUSE I CAN’T SEE \h\hWHAT I’M DOING.

Nate: NO, I THINK YOU JUST LOST HIM.

YES, YES, YES, YES, YES!

OH! YOU GOT HIM!

[BLEEP] YOU GOT HIM!

YES!

[LAUGHS]

NEIL!

\h\h\h\h\hHANDS DOWN, THE BEST LIZARD CATCH

THAT I’VE EVER SEEN.

Neil: HERE IS ONE OF THE RAREST ANOLES IN THE WORLD!

[LAUGHTER]

OH, HE’S LIKE A LITTLE DINOSAUR.

Nate: WHAT?

Neil: HE’S TRYING \hTO BITE ME HERE.

Nate: OH, MY GOD!

Neil: I’M PRETTY STOKED.

Nate: THIS IS LIKE \hTHE WHOLE TRIP,

WE’VE BEEN LOOKING \h\hFOR THIS GUY.

\h\h\hVERY, VERY FEW PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN ANOLES

\h\h\hHAVE SEEN THIS LIZARD, WHICH MAKES IT SUPER SPECIAL

TO GET TO, TO GET TO HOLD.

AS WE HELD THIS NEW SPECIES

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND FILMED IT CLIMB BACK INTO THE TREE,

WE COULDN’T HELP BUT REMEMBER \hTHE FIRST LAW OF THE LIZARD

WE LEARNED ON THIS JOURNEY--

EXPECT SURPRISES.

EVEN ON HISPANIOLA,

AN ISLAND WHERE BIOLOGISTS \hHAVE WORKED FOR DECADES,

HERE WAS A STRANGE ANOLE,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTOTALLY UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE ON THE ISLAND,

THAT NO ONE HAD EVEN NOTICED \h\h\hUNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO.

Neil: IT REALLY DROVE HOME HOW LITTLE WE STILL KNOW,

IN MANY WAYS, ABOUT ANOLES.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT EVEN SOME OF THE MOST COMMON SPECIES,

\hTHE ONES THAT SCIENTISTS HAVE STUDIED FOR DECADES,

THERE ARE STILL THINGS \h\hABOUT THEIR LIVES

THAT WE JUST DON’T KNOW.

\h\h\hJonathan: WHEN I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE, I SAID TO MYSELF,

"I’M NEVER GOING TO STUDY ANOLES AGAIN BECAUSE WE KNOW IT ALL."

OF COURSE, THAT WAS NAIVE.

FAR FROM KNOWING IT ALL, WE’VE BARELY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE.

♪

Nate: NEIL AND I HAD FOLLOWED \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE ANOLE STORY

FOR MORE THAN A YEAR,

\hFROM CARIBBEAN RAINFORESTS TO UNIVERSITY LABORATORIES,

FROM TINY BAHAMIAN ISLANDS \h\hTO THE CITY OF MIAMI.

WE STARTED THIS QUEST

\hTHINKING WE UNDERSTOOD WHY ANOLES WERE SPECIAL,

\h\h\hBUT OUR JOURNEY LEFT US WITH SOMETHING MORE PROFOUND.

\hNeil: GOING AND SEEING THE DIVERSITY OF ANOLES

\h\h\hIN AN ISLAND LIKE PUERTO RICO,

\h\h\hIT’S LIKE GOING TO THE LOUVRE IN PARIS

AND APPRECIATING THE ART THERE.

IT’S SOMETHING THAT’S BEAUTIFUL AND COMPLEX AND FASCINATING,

COMPLETELY OF ITS OWN ACCORD.

♪

Nate: WHEN I WAS A SCIENTIST \h\h\h\h\hSTUDYING LIZARDS,

\h\hPEOPLE WOULD ALWAYS ASK ME, "WHY ARE YOU STUDYING LIZARDS?"

\h\h\hAND I THINK THAT IT’S, IT’S NORMAL TO BE SKEPTICAL.

\hIT’S HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHY IT COULD POSSIBLY BE IMPORTANT

TO DEDICATE ALL THIS EFFORT

\h\h\h\h\hINTO UNDERSTANDING HOW THESE LIZARDS LIVE THEIR LIVES.

\h\h\h\hBUT LIFE ON EARTH IS INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED,

\hAND UNDERSTANDING THE RULES THAT GENERATED THAT DIVERSITY

IS FUNDAMENTAL TO UNDERSTANDING

\h\h\h\h\h\hWHERE WE FIT INTO THE BIGGER PICTURE,

AND VERY FEW OTHER ORGANISMS

\h\h\hHAVE TAUGHT US AS MUCH ABOUT THOSE RULES AS ANOLES.

♪

♪