Costa Rica Water Lizard Uses Bubble Snouts to Scuba Dive in 16 Minutes

A group of biology experts from the State University of New York and Binghamton University analyzed a type of water lizard which was able to adapt underwater. The lizard has evolved to stay and breathe underwater through the help of its own snout attached with a bubble-like feature.

The lizards are better known as Anolis lizards. The semi-aquatic lizards inhabit regions with humid to tropical climates. Most of the anoles frequently dive under bodies of water surrounding their area, including rivers and streams. The astounding skill of the lizards includes staying underwater for about 16 minutes maximum.

The evolutionary ability was first observed in a species of lizard in Costa Rica. According to a report by SciTechDaily, Binghamton University's biological sciences professor Lindsey Swierk discovered the astounding feat of the anoles last 2019. With the use of GoPro, the lizards were observed to submerge for a long period of time. The small animals use the ability to hide easily from their predators.

Semi-Aquatic Anoles Breathe Underwater

Biologists documented the successful evolution of the anole species in a published Current Biology study entitled "Repeated evolution of underwater rebreathing in diving Anolis lizards." The observation by a team of evolutionary biologists confirmed that the lizards breathe through their own air-based underwater respiratory system.

Anoles, scientifically named Anolis, are from a family of iguanas. 200 and more species are currently recorded. These lizards are fond of living on trees and can be found in warmer regions, and are most abundant in the West Indies.

Water Anole Lizards and Rebreathing Technique

The recent discovery of the tiny animal's capacity to dive was examined to what seems to be 'rebreathing.' The lizard's bubble bags on their snouts are what they use to inhale and exhale. The rebreathing technique is pretty simple, as the trapped air between the water and the lizard's skin acts as their life support, a kind of the scuba-diving systems humans use.

Semi-aquatic lizards like anoles are noted to be one of many species that undergo repeated evolution for specialized breathing. According to the conducted research, all of the anoles examined have hydrophobic skin. This means that the layer that protects the body of the lizards repels water naturally and effortlessly.

Like a physical gill system, the lizards use an air filter to inhale pure oxygen only, leaving the carbon dioxide out. The concept of rebreathing mechanism is eyed by the experts, as it could possibly innovate scuba-diving technology. However, researchers have noticed that the air in the lizard's bubble snout depletes over a longer time, which also relates the mechanism to scuba tanks.

Another observation shows that with longer dives, the metabolic rate of the anole decreases. Overall, there are questions these semi-aquatic lizards might answer in the near future. While the rebreathing process may not work on vertebrate species, scientists are amazed by the evolution of the species that it may be a clue to repetitive evolution in other animals using their aquatic environment.

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