Iguana b&w text which was hidden under the litter, we moved a leaf and acciden- tally startled the Alsophis, which struck at us several times before releasing the hawk and moving into the litter, revealing a super- ficial head wound as it fled. After release, the hawk stumbled on an apparently numbed right leg and seemed unable to flex its right wing; upon return- ing to the site approximately three hours later, however, we observed the bird, seemingly unharmed, flying between trees. Acknowledgements We thank Bob Powell and Bob Henderson for providing com- ments on this note. This observation was made while conduct- ing research on Iguana delicatissima in Dominica. That project is funded through the Center for Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES) at the Zoological Society of San Diego. Literature Cited BirdLife International 2004. Buteo platypterus. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Malhotra, A. and R.S. Thorpe. 1999. Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean. Macmillan Education, Ltd., Oxford and London, UK. Normally diurnal West Indian anoles (Polychrotidae: Anolis) are known to exploit insects attracted to artificial lights well into the night (e.g., Perry and Fisher 2006, Henderson and Powell 2009). Secondary exploitation of nocturnal anoles by a typically diurnal predator, the Puerto Rican Racer (Alsophis por- toricensis), has been reported on hotel grounds on Guana Island, British Virgin Islands (Perry and Lazell 2000). At 1915 h (transition to full dark) on 18 June 2008, we observed a male Dominican Racer (Alsophis antillensis sibonius; SVL 525 mm, tail 247 mm) in a foraging position at the base of a light frequently used by a nocturnally active Dominican Anole (Anolis oculatus). The observation occurred on the grounds of the Sunset Bay Club at Batali Beach, on the leeward coast of Dominica, Lesser Antilles. Based on our experiences, exploitation of the night-light niche has become commonplace among West Indian anoles associated with urban areas and other situations in which artifi- cial lighting is prevalent at night (e.g., hotels, resorts). However, both situations in which snakes have been observed exploiting the night-light niche (Guana Island, Batali Beach) have been “snake-friendly”; that is, guests and personnel of the hotels are instructed not to harm snakes that enter areas frequented by humans. Under more typical circumstances (i.e., where snakes would be killed or, at least, removed from the area), we doubt that snakes would have the opportunity to learn to exploit this potentially productive trophic niche. Acknowledgements Marcella and Roger Dutrieux Cools, owners of the Sunset Bay Club tolerated our eccentricities. Mr. Arlington James, Forest Officer, Forestry, Wildlife, and Parks Division, Ministry of 156 IGUANA • VOLUME 15, NUMBER 3 • SEPTEMBER 2008 POWELL AND HENDERSON A Dominican Anole (Anolis oculatus) exploiting the night-light niche on the grounds of the Sunset Bay Club at Batali Beach, Dominica. R O B ER T PO W EL L Exploitation of the Night-light Niche by a Dominican Racer Robert Powell1 and Robert W. Henderson2 1Department of Biology, Avila University, Kansas City, MO 64145, USA (robert.powell@avila.edu) 2Section of Vertebrate Zoology, Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA (henderson@mpm.edu) � Iguana 15.3 b&w text 9/10/08 5:43 AM Page 156 IGUANA • VOLUME 15, NUMBER 3 • SEPTEMBER 2008 157DOMINICAN RACERS Agriculture & the Environment, Commonwealth of Dominica, was instrumental in issuing permits to conduct research in Dominica and facilitated our efforts in myriad ways. Fieldwork was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (USA) to Robert Powell (DBI-0242589). Literature Cited Henderson, R.W. and R. Powell. 2009. Natural History of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Perry, G. and R.N. Fisher. 2006. Night lights and reptiles: Observed and poten- tial effects, pp. 169–191. In: C. Rich and T. Longcore (eds.), Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting. Island Press, Washington, D.C. Perry, G. and J. Lazell. 2000. Liophis portoricensis anegadae (NCN). Night-light hunting. Herpetological Review 31:247. Alsophis antillensis sibonius is endemic to Dominica, Lesser Antilles. Although Schwartz and Henderson (1991) described adults, thorough descriptions of juveniles have not been published. During a June 2008 study conducted primarily at Cabrits National Park, we made >160 observations of an undetermined number of snakes. Included in the observations were five juveniles, for four of which we collected and recorded pattern data. The only previous description of the juvenile pat- tern was by Parker (1933): “… an undulating dark vertebral stripe, a narrow lateral line, and dark spots on the flanks and hinder parts of the belly.” The top of the head in juveniles is uniformly brown, dark- ening laterally, with very dark brown to black lines extending from the snout and through the eyes before blending into the darker elements of the body pattern. Supralabials are white, sometimes with faint specks of light brown or gray. Faint to moderately distinct stippling occurs on infralabials, chin, and throat. Juveniles have distinct brown middorsal “saddles” faintly outlined in black on a white to pale gray or tan ground color. Most saddles on any one individual are in contact, forming a continuous middorsal line with paired lateral extensions. These saddles may be obliquely situated or offset, forming a wavy (“zigzag”) line along at least portions of the dorsum. At least a few saddles on each animal are isolated by pale ground color extending across the middorsal line. On all juveniles examined, Juvenile Pattern and Ontogenetic Pattern Changes in Dominican Racers Lauren A. White1 and Peter J. Muelleman2 1Environmental Science Program, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, USA (lauren.a.white@okstate.edu) 2Department of Biology, Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri 63501, USA (pjm563@truman.edu) � A Dominican Racer (Alsophis antillensis sibonius) in a foraging position at the base of a light such as that illustrated on the facing page. This foraging posture, with the anterior portion of the body elevated at the base of the light, is essentially similar to that observed in snakes at the bases of tree trunks in more “natural” habitats (L.A. White and P.J. Muelleman, pers. comm.).R O B ER T PO W EL L Iguana 15.3 b&w text 9/10/08 5:43 AM Page 157