Lizards, Cancun

I noticed the lizards climbing on lamp posts and basking on the sun until sunset.  Each lizard fights for their lamp. Larger lizards get posts with a better sea view than posts of smaller lizards. It is a matter of seniority and power. The lamps atract mosquitos and the lizards like to sit in top of the lamp at sunset.

Initially I thought that the lizards were iguanas (as local people called them) hunting for mosquitos, but, after talking to people taking care of iguanas (here in Berkeley), I learnt that iguanas are vegetarian. However, Iguanas need to have two temperatures: one hot around 96 °F, and another cold, not less than 75 °F. Below the cold temperature (75 °F) the iguana's metabolism slows, and therefore, they will use the lamp to keep warm at sunset.

On further thought, since I do not recall the crest that is a charateristic of iguanas, these animals might be another type of lizard (not an iguana) enjoying the extended warm temperatures at sunset provided by the lamps while munching on mosquitos.



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