A recent study has recognized the intelligence of small reptiles such as the Caribbean Anole also known as the Chameleon. A study conducted at American Duke University revealed that the Puerto Rican Anole was capable of solving cognitive tasks just as well as birds and mammals. Duke Biologist Manuel Leal claimed that their intelligence was "completely unexpected." The experiment consisted of a wooden block with two wells. One of the wells contained a worm covered with a cap and the other well empty. In order for the biologists to pass the lizards four of them had to successfully bite off the cap or attempt to flip it over to retrieve the worm. If the lizards could not successfully open the well they had to correct themselves the following day. The lizards also needed to associate color and brightness to find their reward. In the end the lizards accomplished the task in less time than birds. According to Harvard Biologist Jonathan Losos the case study should cause researchers to further analyze and re-evaluate the knowledge of animal cognition. After identifying the intelligence of this particular lizard species researchers are planning to test other species for similar intelligence characteristics later this year. The two anoles with the best performance in the experiment were named Plato and Socretes. These cute lizards serve as wonderful pets.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2011/07/13/puerto-rican-lizards-surprisingly-smart-study-finds/

http://www.wildherps.com/species/A.cristatellus.html