Meeting Abstract
In September of 2017, Hurricane Maria struck the Island of Dominica and caused widespread destruction. Among the animals effected by this major disturbance event are the endemic Anolis oculatus and the invasive Anolis cristatellus. At that time, our research laboratory had been studying both Anoles on the island for two years. This allows us the opportunistic ability to compare basic health indicators from before and after. We compare a basic body condition index (Snout-to-vent length / mass) of lizards sampled prior to Hurricane Maria to those sampled in the two years since to determine if the aftermath of the storm caused noticeable deleterious effects. Some populations of Anolis oculatus were affected more strongly than others. Among those populations most affected, we recorded increased instances of noticeable parasites and generally poor body conditions. Additionally, specimens of both species sampled post-hurricane presented multiple scars and healed wounds that were generally absent from populations sampled pre-hurricane.
