US has scuba-diving tropical lizards that breathe underwater, release bubbles through nostrils

In a new research carried out by Binghamton University, the scientists discovered a scuba-diving tropical lizard called theAnolis aquaticus, which can breathe underwater and release special bubbles through its nostrils that cling to its head.

In the observational study published inBiology Letters, senior author Lindsey Swierk stated that water anoleshave been well-documented.

“We know that they can stay underwater for a really long time, that they’re pulling oxygen from this bubble of air,” said Swierk.

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“We didn’t know whether there was actually any functional role for this bubble in respiration. Is it something that lizards do that is just a side effect of their skin’s properties or a respiratory reflex, or is this bubble actually allowing them to stay underwater longer than they would, say, without a bubble?" she added.

Here's how researchers discovered tropical lizards

Swierk explained how an experiment was carried out to understand the intriguing mechanism of the tropical lizards.

She said that the anoles are “kind of like the chicken nuggets of the forest.”

The water anoles need to avoid the danger that comes from the skies and the ground. For this, they need to develop an impressive strategy which allows them to push themselves in the water till the time there is no threat.

In a press release, Swierk said that camouflaged water anole is able to hide underwater with the help of air bubbles.

Swierk has not been able to confirm if the bubble was a by-product of a respiratory function or if the lizards can breathe underwater.

Emollientwas applied to the skin of the lizard to stop the bubble from sticking to its head to understand the role of this air bubble.

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“Lizard skin is hydrophobic. Typically, that allows air to stick very tightly to the skin and permits this bubble to form. But when you cover the skin with an emollient, air no longer sticks to the skin surface, so the bubbles can’t form,” said Swierk.

“This is really significant because this is the first experiment that truly shows the adaptive significance of bubbles. Rebreathing bubbles allowlizardsto stay underwater longer. Before, we suspected it – we saw a pattern – but we didn’t actually test if it served a functional role,” she added.

The study further stated that air bubbles help the reptile stay underwater for a longer duration.

"Anoles are kind of like the chicken nuggets of the forest. Birds eat them, snakes eat them. So by jumping in the water, they can escape a lot of their predators, and they remain very still underwater. They're pretty well camouflaged underwater as well, and they just stay underwater until that danger passes. We know that they can stay underwater at least about 20 minutes, but probably longer," she said.

(With inputs from agencies)