Water anoles are semi-aquatic lizards found in the tropical forests and wetlands of southwestern Costa Rica and far southwestern Panama. The water anole is unusual in that it is able to stay underwater for long periods of time – a behavior that is described as "scuba diving". Experiments have confirmed that this species has the ability to remain underwater for up to 20 minutes.

These pencil-long lizards can survive underwater by breathing through a bubble that forms on their nostrils. When water anoles take the plunge, they exhale to produce a bubble that covers their nostrils. Additionally tiny bubbles form naturally on the lizard’s hydrophobic, or water-repellent, skin, and these join up with the larger bubble, potentially raising the amount of oxygen available to breathe.

By submerging themselves underwater for prolonged periods of time, the water anole is able to remain invisible to its predators. The water anoles also use this "scuba diving" ability to hunt prey that live underwater and would otherwise be inaccessible to the lizards. Therefore, the anoles can both escape predators and forage for food with this unique "scuba diving" behavior.