Who Is Related To Whom?

Last weekend my husband and I were outside doing some yard work when I caught some quick movement in my line of sight. It was one of these, a Basilisk lizard. They are not native here, but they are part of the neighborhood. My guess, someone had a couple of these as pets, and failed to read the fine print that said they get to be over 2 feet long! So, they cut them loose, but perhaps they got here another way. I find them to be fascinating and I love watching them, especially when they run.

Later in the day I spied one of these looking at me from the back of the wicker chair on the lanai. A green anole. That’s where he hangs out. I greet him every day there and we respect each other’s space. Though he’s only a few inches long, I’m not going to sit in that chair as long as he’s there. I’m not afraid of him, but the idea of him scampering across my back freaks me out a bit! His brother shows up in the Florida room from time to time, coming in under the screen door to take a break from the sun. Can’t blame him for that. I look at them. They look at me. It’s all good.

What I have noticed is how each of these lizards remind me very much of a miniature Jurassic Park. I know that “some” scientists believe that dinosaurs are more related to birds than to lizards, but to that I say, “Open your eyes!” With the exception of the pterodactyl, which I find strikingly similar to a pelican,

I find very little resemblance of t-rex or a velociraptor to your neighbor’s parakeet!

Simplistically speaking, humans share half our genomes with other mammals and the other half with bananas. Seriously? What does that say?! Our DNA sequencing is complicated, as is that of a hamster, but the only “kindred” spirit a hamster and I share is our bias toward being chubby. Just because we share similarities doesn’t make us relatives. So, back to my lizards. I think they’re pretty interesting and I’m grateful that we no longer share the planet with their distant cousins, the dinosaurs, but I wouldn’t turn your back on the robin in your yard, plucking worms from the ground, just in case I’m wrong about who is related to whom.