Green Anole | Brown Anole | Southeastern Five-lined Skink
Indo-Pacific Gecko | Six-lined Racerunner
Occasional observations | lizard tails | Alligators
|
Green Anole Anolis carolinensis Description: maximum length 8 inches; bright green but can change
color to light brown but always evenly hued; whitish chin; females have
light stripe down the back and males don't (male top photo, female second
photo); three factors influence color and change of color: camouflage,
temperature, emotion. When on green vegetation or light background, tend
to be green; when on bark or dark background, tend to be brown. When temperatures
are around 70 or higher, tend to stay green; when in 60's are lower, tend
to be brown. When males display for territory or females, turn bright green;
when males fight, the winner turns bright green and the loser turns brown.
Food: insects and occasionally Brown Anole hatchlings Habitat: tree dweller in tropical forests and wooded areas; in West Indies, occupies upper trunk and canopy region while Brown Anoles occupy lower trunk and ground region; in U.S., will stay on vegetation but may be closer to ground Range: entire state; cold tolerant enough to be found north to Tennessee Lifespan: 2-3 years
Notes: usually tries to escape predators by running up; when threat displays don't work in establishing territories, males may fight (right) but battle usually not fatal for loser; if Green Anole and Brown Anole fight, Green almost always wins and kills Brown; see notes below for Brown Anoles about shedding skin and "push-up" behavior |
|
Brown Anole (exotic) Anolis sagrei sagrei Description: maximum length to 8.5 inches; gray, black, brown to very dark brown and sometimes speckled coloration which may vary in hue; males turn almost black during territorial displays; females have diamond-shaped patterns down back (second photo at left); males may display patterns, but never diamond shapes; dewlaps are red to red-orange with a yellow border (photo left top); mature males will also have crest-like ridge along back; Food: mostly insects but occasionally Green Anole hatchlings when they come to the ground Habitat: ground dweller but will venture up several feet into trees and shrubs; prefers drier areas Range: most of peninsular Florida and the Keys; not cold tolerant Lifespan: around 3 years Breeding: mates late spring to early summer; 2 eggs per clutch and several clutches each summer; eggs laid under decaying vegetation on ground; 60-90 days to hatch; an exotic that has probably spread when eggs distributed in tropical landscape plants originating in nurseries around Miami and the Keys
|
|
Southeastern Five-lined Skink Eumeces inexpectatus
Food: insects, spiders, snails, earthworms Habitat: ground dwellers found in dry to damp woods, old sawdust and brush piles, dead leaves, rotten logs, and boardwalks of nature trails; may sometimes go up tree trunks, but never too high Range: entire state Breeding: 9-12 eggs laid from May to July in rotten logs, stumps, or loose damp soil; eggs brooded by female for four to seven weeks; mate selection determined by behavior rather than appearance -- male runs around with mouth open toward another skink; if it attacks back, it's a male; if it stays still or runs away, it's a female. |
|
Indo-Pacific Gecko (exotic) Hemidactylus garnoti Description: maximum length to 5 inches; brown or gray with pale spots; mostly light but can be dark; conspicuous toe pads and bulging eyes distinguish them from anoles Food: insects Habitat: frequently found near buildings on walls; primarily nocturnal but most active around dusk when rocks and walls are still warm from the day and frequently feed near insect-attracting lights; Range: scattered colonies in South and Central Florida Breeding: unisexual -- all individuals are self-fertilizing females; it's the only gecko to have expanded its range beyond Miami and the Keys, probably because just one gecko can begin a localized colony |
(Brown Anole in foreground) |
Six-lined Racerunner Cnemidophorus sexlineatus Description: maximum length to 10.5 inches; 3 light-colored lines along each side of dark back; whitish below; males have light blue coloration underneath head and throat; tail twice of more the length of the body (second photo -- Brown Anole in foreground); hatchlings have bright blue tails Food: insects, spiders, snails Habitat: always found at ground level; found in natural dry habitats; prefers sandy or rocky soil, short grass, thin woods, dusty roadsides Range: entire state Breeding: lays 1-6 eggs from June through August under rocks or logs, or in holes in sandy soil; incubation about 8 weeks Notes: very fast runner |
Many lizards, including the Green Anole, Brown Anole, Southeastern Five-lined Skink. and Indo-pacific Gecko, can cast off their tails at will when threatened or molested. The tail "piece" continues to wiggle (twitch), attracting the attention of prey such as birds or cats, while the lizard flees to safety. This is possible because of a single natural weak point in the vertebrae of the tail and a muscle arrangement at that point designed for separation. The lizard can regenerate a new tail, but it is cartilage and has no bones. It grows back slowly and frequently "stubby" lizards are observed. The new tail does not get the stripes, colors or other markings of the original and usually appears dark grayish. This new tail can be dropped off repeatedly. Skinks and geckos are especially quick to discard their tails.
Breeding:
mates late spring to early summer; 1-2 eggs per clutch and several clutches
each summer -- about every 10-14 days; eggs laid in decaying vegetation
higher up in trees; 60-90 days to hatch; hatchlings must leave and establish
own territories in other trees, and if canopy connected, will travel that
way; in interrupted woodlands, must come to ground to move to another tree
and preyed upon there by Brown Anoles
Notes: both
Green and Brown Anoles shed skin but not in a single piece like snakes;
instead it flakes off similar to the way people peel after a sunburn (left);
anoles frequently recycle (eat) the flakes which are a good source of
minerals; males of both species also do "pushups" as threat gestures
and when competing with other males for territory or females; the pushups
combined with the dewlap display and roach down the back make the male anole
look larger (size does count in threat displays); Brown Anoles will also
display dewlap and do pushups when approached by people; Brown Anole also
called the Cuban Anole
Description:
maximum length to 8.5 inches; short legs compared to other lizards;
shiny skin; young are dark bluish-black with bright blue tails (near
left) while adults become more brown; head of breeding male wider, redder
than female (far left); older males may lose some of the lines along
the side and become almost all brown; very quick moving; may flick tongue
out in snake-like manner
