Anolis cristatellus
Silhouette: monatkat · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Anolis cristatellus is a small species of anole, belonging to the Dactyloidae family of reptiles. The species is native to Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, with introduced populations in locations around the Caribbean. The males of A. cristatellus are easily recognizable by the fin running down the top of the tail, which is known as a "caudal crest". The females also have this crest, but it is smaller than that of the males. The species is often quite common in many areas on Puerto Rico, where it can be seen during the day passing the time on the lower parts of tree trunks, or on fences and the walls of buildings in urban areas, sometimes venturing down onto the ground in order to lay eggs, have a snack, or do other cursorial activities. Like many anoles, this species displays the characteristic behaviour of doing push-ups as well as inflating a pizza-like flap of coloured skin on its throat, known as a dewlap, in order to show others how dominant it is, and thus attract mates or intimidate rivals.
The species is known locally as the lagartijo común, and in English it is sometimes called the crested anole, the common Puerto Rican anole, and the Puerto Rican crested anole. There are two allopatric subspecies found in different geographical areas, with slightly different coloured dewlaps and crests. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Santo Domingo | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hellabrunn Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | The Green Planet | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 3 | Tierpark Schlichtweg 15 in München | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Zoo Schlichtweg 11 in München | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Zoo Siebenbrunner Straße 6 in München | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Anole sighting in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 100 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 33 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March and August
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Anole in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against about 20% in July, the lowest month.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crested Anole sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Crested Anole sightings, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Cahuita National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%).
Same genus: Anolis
The closest relatives of the Crested Anole that you can see in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (genus Anolis, Anoles) are Border Anole (about 60%), Neotropical Green Anole (about 30%) and Humble Anole (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crested Anole is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (100 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
