This crazy lizard was my only target species in Ecuador. I knew I would see lots of herps, but this was the only one that I would be disappointed not to see. My intrepid guide Frank Pichardo knew this, and we spent time every night in Mindo searching for this elusive species. Frank had found them many times before, and knew exactly how to look for them, but we had reached our final night in their range with no Pinocchio Anole sightings. We tried one more area where Frank had seen them, but on a rainy night we had no luck.

Just when the pointy-nosed anole outlook was at its bleakest, Frank had one more trick up his sleeve; he had recently received a photo of a lizard taken by a birding guide friend at a small reserve owned by the birding guide's family. Frank had recognized the lizard as a female Anolis proboscis (which, unlike the males, do not possess silly nose horns). So Frank called his friend who agreed to meet us, and off to the reserve we went. The rain had died down to only an occasional drizzle, and it didn't take too long before Frank spotted this ridiculously wonderful lizard.