---
title: "Genetic Shift: How Hurricanes Rebuilt the Turks and Caicos Anole Skeleton"
url: https://projectchintan.com/article/hurricane-driven-evolution-turks-caicos-anole-lizards-mcy1v
publisher: Project Chintan
author: Project Chintan Newsroom
section: Technology
published: 2026-08-06T04:46:15.000Z
modified: 2026-08-06T08:02:48.293Z
language: en-IN
---

# Genetic Shift: How Hurricanes Rebuilt the Turks and Caicos Anole Skeleton

Researchers discovered that back-to-back hurricanes triggered rapid evolutionary changes in island lizard populations. Survival favored specific anatomical traits, including shorter hind toes and larger pads, which were later verified through genomic analysis and wind tunnel testing.

## Key takeaways

- Hurricanes Irma and Maria forced an immediate evolutionary shift in the Anolis scriptus lizard population within weeks.
- Genetic analysis identified the hs6st1 gene as the primary driver for shorter hind toes, which improved wind resistance.
- Laboratory wind tunnel tests proved that shorter toe bones allow lizards to maintain their grip against 118 km/hr winds for longer durations.
- The physical adaptations, including larger toepads and altered limb lengths, persisted in the offspring of the storm survivors.

## Background

In September 2017, a unique natural experiment unfolded on Pine Cay and Water Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Just four days before Hurricane Irma struck with 265 km/hr winds, a research team from Harvard and Princeton Universities finished a baseline study of the local Anolis scriptus lizards. The arrival of Hurricane Maria two weeks later, packing winds of 200 km/hr, devastated the islands' vegetation and decimated lizard numbers. When scientists returned six weeks after the storms, they discovered a population that had physically transformed.

## Key Facts

- Post-storm survivors exhibited longer forelimbs, shorter hind legs, and reduced toe length compared to the pre-hurricane population.
- Both front and back toepads grew larger in the surviving lizards to enhance grip strength.
- Genomic sequencing identified five muscle and skeletal development genes, specifically hs6st1, that became more frequent in the population following the disasters.
- Wind tunnel experiments confirmed that lizards with shorter first toe bones maintained their grip on wooden dowels significantly longer than those with longer appendages.
- CRISPR gene-editing on the related Anolis sagrei proved that the hs6st1 gene directly controls toe length and cartilage thickness.

## Why It Matters

The study, published in Current Biology and building on 2018 findings in Nature, demonstrates that extreme weather can rewrite a wild population's genome within a single generation. While the fourth hind toe is typically the longest, the storms selected for individuals with shorter toes. Researchers noted that during high-velocity winds, lizards rely on their front legs twice as long as their back legs. Shortening the hind toes reduces the surface area vulnerable to being lifted by the wind, preventing the lizard from being peeled off its perch.

## What Happens Next

This rapid adaptation serves as a case study for evolutionary biology under extreme pressure. As climate forecasts predict a rise in the frequency and intensity of severe weather events, scientists are now tasked with monitoring how these shifts impact the long-term survival of wild populations. The genetic changes recorded in these anoles remained detectable in their descendants a year after the hurricanes, indicating a permanent shift in the islands' biodiversity.

Source: The Hindu — Sci-Tech

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Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/hurricane-driven-evolution-turks-caicos-anole-lizards-mcy1v
Reported from: The Hindu — Sci-Tech