Brown Anole- Natural History

 While I was in Longboat Key, Florida, I was able to encounter the brown anole (Anolis carolinensis) below near some bushes/palm trees. I feel a bit bad because I’ve been calling these “geckos” since I was little but after taking this class I wanted to know if they were actually geckos (they were not). This one was definitely a juvenile based on how small it was compared to other anoles in the area. You can tell that it is a female based on its back pattern with the light middorsal stripe and the diamond-shaped markings along her back. Anoles typically have a dewlap used for courting and protecting territory that is usually orange/red with a light border (can be seen as a white throat stripe on males). They can also “lose” their tail if they are feeling threatened by a predator, and can regenerate it within a couple of months. Brown anoles are arboreal and can typically be spotted on trees. They can also be found in bushes, on rocks, on tree trunks, and in open areas. They climb using their expanded toepads. They also can change their color in response to temperature, humidity, emotion, and activity. Unlike the green anole, the brown anoles can only change their colors from brown to gray/black. Their geographical location is primarily in Florida (where this one was spotted) but they can be seen in some areas west to Texas and north to North Carolina. They can be confused with the green anole but they have a more elongated snout, are more slender, and have horizontal bands along their tail, which brown anoles do not. They are also similar to the bark anole, however, the bark anoles are typically smaller and also have horizontal bands along their tail. Additionally, they differ from the crested anole because they don't have a crest and they have keeled ventral scales compared to the crested anole’s smooth ventral scales. Overall, this was pretty interesting and a bit sad for me since I’ve been catching them since I was little and mistakenly called them geckos. However, I finally know now what they are and it’s an interesting fun fact to tell my family/ friends in the area when I see them. I was also happy I was able to find a juvenile that didn’t run away from me since they are typically pretty hard to catch without a net.