The anole lizards of the Caribbean islands embody two of Darwin's predictions: that species change over time (microevolution) and that lineages diverge (speciation). Within the forests of the Caribbean islands, niches are distributed vertically, from the ground to the tree canopy. As the anoles colonize a new island, they fill those niches and as a result begin to develop certain traits better suited to those niches. The anoles who stay on the ground have longer limbs for faster running, while the anoles who live among the tree's branches have shorter legs to hold onto thin twigs. Leafy canopy anoles have large sticky toepads to help them cling onto broad leaves and not fall to the forest floor. This microevolution happens rapidly, across relatively few generations, because natural selection is so strong. Scientists have actually been able to observe this process happening in real time, which is evidence for Darwin's prediction that species change over time. ...