Florida and Georgia Anoles
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This page contains photos of Anoles which I took in Florida or Georgia.
Green Anole All photos taken by me. All animals alive, free and unrestrained. |
Webpage developed by Tom Spinker See home page for e-mail address This page last updated 31 July 2005 Copyright © 2000 - 2005 All Rights Reserved I make no warranties as to the accuracy of any of the information on this website. |
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The Green Anole Anolis carolinensis is the only anole which is native to
the USA. All other species have come into the country as
stowaways on cargo shipments or as pets.
A website by University of Florida lists 8 species of anoles which breed in Florida. These are
Bartlett and Bartlett A Field Guide to Florida Reptiles and Amphibians describes three more, but says the first two are very rare and that the last can be found only in a few locations in Miami:
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| Green Anoles can change color rapidly from green to brown. Green Anoles have longer snouts than Brown Anoles. If you look down at the snout of a Brown Anole, the flat portion (from the eyes to the nose) forms something like an equilateral triangle. The same flat portion of the snout of a Green Anole is a more elongated triangle. |
Green anoles grow to 8" in total length. They are found in the SE United States as far
north as North Carolina and Tennessee and as far west as East Texas.
Info taken from National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. I took this photo on 13 March 2004 at 11:49am just south of Valdosta, Georgia. 100mm macro lens, flash, Kodak Elite Chrome slide film. |
22 Dec 2002 -- 11:09 am ---
south of Florida City, Florida
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Green Anoles often turn brown when you try to photograph them.
This anole is on a curved, sheet-metal, bumper-type guard rail which runs along a canal. |
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This lizard had just shed its skin and the old skin is still on the tail.
Knight anoles are not indigenous to Florida. They are massive lizards when compared to Green or Brown Anoles. Body length (SVL) can be over 7 inches and tail length 11 inches for a total length of 18 inches. The diet of the Knight Anole includes the smaller anoles. |
7 June 2002 -- Fairchild Tropical Gardens (on Atlantic Ocean south of Miami)
I found this lizard at Fairchild Tropical Gardens, which is a garden of tropical trees and plants located on the Atlantic Ocean at about 98th Street, south of Miami. This is not a zoo. Quite a bit of wildlife roams freely at Fairchild Gardens including lots of Green Iguanas. |
7 June 2002 --- Fairchild Tropical Gardens ---
Both photos taken with 100mm macro lens and flash.
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Same lizard as above
I saw two Knight Anoles at Fairchild on 19 July 2001. Plus this one on 7 June 2002 at the same place. Knight Anoles stay high in the tree tops during cool weather. In 2000 I saw one Knight Anole in a tree in Homestead. In 2001 I did not see any in Homestead. In 2002 I saw at least four Knight Anoles on trees in Homestead. Three of them very near the building where I lived. Emails which I have received indicate that this species has become more common in south Florida in recent years.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife website, Knight Anoles are
found in Broward, Collier, Dade, Martin, Monroe, Palm Beach, Polk, and
Saint Lucie Counties.
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The Brown Anole varies considerably in color. This is a very red individual.
I took this photo 12 December 2000 at a little roadside picnic area along US41 called
Kirby Storter Roadside Park. The Brown Anole is
not native to the United States. But it has become well-established in South Florida and
is now the most commonly-seen lizard.
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Patterns and colors of Brown Anoles vary greatly.
Some are nearly black, some have yellow or orange markings.
Photo taken 1 May 2000 in Everglades National Park. |
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Here is an unusual color variation of the Brown Anole.
This photo was taken 4 May 2000 at the Shark Valley section of Everglades National Park. |
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It is easy to mistake this species as a color variation of a juvenile Anolis sagrei.
These anoles do not come to the ground; they stay on a large trunk or limb of a tree and flee upward when approached. They are smaller than Anolis sagrei reaching a total length of about 5" as opposed to 8" for sagrei. They move more slowly. Sagrei darts from point to point and leaps from branch to branch. Distichus waddles very rapidly -- much like a gecko. Bark Anoles are probably only found in Dade and Broward Counties in Florida. Most Bark Anoles found in Florida came from the Bahamas. Other subspecies of Bark Anoles are found in Hispaniola and other islands. |
Photo taken 3 May 2003 10:52am at Sewell Park in NW Miami. This species is abundant at Sewell Park. |
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More Anole Photos A second page of photos of the same four species of anole. |
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