Display Patterns of Male and Female Anolis carolinensis

Headbob displays of the green anole (Anolis carolinensis). - A cautionary tale. Both males and females perform the same three patterns and with equal precision. Furthermore, all three patterns are used during each of the following basic social contexts:

• as males advertise territories
• as males aggressively fight
• as females aggressively fight
• as males display to females and
• as females display to males.

Only the frequency of use of the three display types varies between the above contexts. Therefore, investigators should not reference the displays of this species (or any species) by functional labeling (i.e., avoid such terms as assertion display, challenge display, threat display, courtship display, submissive nodding) because multiple kinds of displays occur in every context and the same patterns occur across contexts.

	A Pattern: begins with a triple bob series see video
	B Pattern: begins with a little/big bob series see video
	C Pattern: begins with a single large bob see video

If video files do not open, try downloading VideoLan media player http://www.videolan.org

Publications supporting these observations are:

• Orrell, K. S., and T. A. Jenssen. 2003. Heterosexual Signalling by the lizard Anolis carolinensis, with intersexual comparisons across contexts.Behaviour. 140:603-634. [pdf]
• Lovern, M. B., and T. A. Jenssen. 2003. Form emergence and fixation in social signals: ontogeny of headbobbing displays in the green anole lizards Anolis carolinensis). J. Comp. Psychol. 17:133-141. [pdf]
• Jenssen, T. A., K. S. Orrell, and M. B. Lovern. 2000. Sexual dimorphisms in aggressive signal structure and use by a polygynous lizard, Anolis carolinensis. Copeia 2000:140-149. [pdf]
• Decourcy and T. A. Jenssen. 1994. Structure and use of male territorial headbob signals by the lizard, Anolis carolinensis. Anim. Behav. 47:251-262. [pdf]