How the Rare 'Pinocchio Lizard' Uses its Impressive Nose

For more than 50 years, researchers believed that the Pinocchio lizard, also known as the horned anole lizard, was extinct. With its recent rediscovery in 2005, though, the lizard is making a comeback. Now, scientists are taking a closer look at this reptile in order to better aid conservation efforts

The Pinocchio lizard is known for its long nose. Previously, scientists have wondered whether the nasal appendage, which is only found in males, served as a weapon of some sort in male-male interactions. In order to find out a bit more, the researchers examined the lizard a bit more closely.

"It's important that we learn as much as we can about the natural history, social behavior, and ecology of this lizard, in order to save it from true extinction," said Ignacio Moore, one of the researchers, in a news release.

During an expedition in Ecuador, the researchers were able to capture a few dozen lizards. They held these reptiles in an outdoor facility built to mimic the lizards' natural habitat and then observed them for a few days, after which the lizards were returned to the exact branch where they were found.

"We were able to observe and videotape 11 copulations and two male-male combat scenarios," said Diego Quirola, one of the researchers. "The nasal appendage was not used as a weapon in these interactions but was used as part of the social displays. The appendage is lifted during the social interactions although what role this specific movement plays is unclear."

Ultimately, the scientists are interested in known about the evolution of this appendage. While research is ongoing, though, the scientists have taken one step closer to learning a bit more about this lizard with this latest study.

The findings were presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology.

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