The Lizard Scientists: Studying Evolution in Action

Award-winning author Dorothy Hinshaw Patent joins forces with scientists/filmmakers Neil Losin and Nate Dappen, whose work is detailed in the Smithsonian Channel documentary “Laws of the Lizard,” to explore how the small but mighty lizards we call “anoles” are used by scientists to study basic principles of evolution and ecology.

Travel with the team to Florida and the Caribbean as they research how anoles followed similar but independent evolutionary paths on the four major islands of the Greater Antilles (Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Cuba). So while anoles on different islands may look like close relatives, they often are not! This is Darwin's principle of natural selection at work.

And it makes anoles the perfect subjects for experiments that study how animals adapt to new challenges—such as climate change—in this exciting and timely addition to a celebrated series.

What secrets can these tiny lizards reveal about our changing world?

• Evolution in Action: Travel to the Caribbean islands where scientists can observe Charles Darwin’s theories playing out not over millions of years, but right now.
• Extreme Weather Adaptation: Discover how some anoles survived hurricane-force winds, a thrilling, real-world example of natural selection.
• City Lizards vs. Country Lizards: Investigate why anoles living on hot city pavement have evolved differently than their relatives in the cool forest.
• Real-World Science: Go behind the scenes with real field biologists and see the tools they use, from tiny lassos to the "Lizard Olympics."