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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

This ‘scuba diving’ lizard has a self-made air supply

A bubble of air on its snout extends the water anole’s underwater time by more than a minute.
Close-up of a semi-aquatic lizard producing a bubble over its nostrils to breathe underwater

A water anole produces a bubble of air akin to a scuba diver’s air tank. Credit: Lindsey Swierk

In the tropical forests of Costa Rica, a small lizard uses its own form of scuba gear — an air bubble on its head that allows it to breathe underwater for extended periods1.

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Nature 633, 743 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02977-3

References

  1. Swierk, L. Biol. Lett. 20, 20240371 (2024).

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