Reproductive Isolation and Speciation in Lizards

This animation shows how a single species can give rise to many different species with distinct traits, using anole lizards as an example.

The anole lizards of the Caribbean Islands represent a group of about 150 closely related species, most of which evolved within the past 50 million years from a single colonizing species on each island. The animation illustrates different processes — including geographic isolation, reproductive isolation, and adaptation to different environments — that have played a role in anole speciation.

Depending on students’ background, it may be helpful to pause the animation at various points to discuss different parts of the speciation process.