Green Anoles

These two lizards are Green Anoles that my husband and I spotted this afternoon in a tree next to our deck. We had seen a female, evident by the row of diamonds down her back, earlier during the day in a nearby tree. Apparently these two guys were trying to impress the lady. When a male anole is trying to assert himself he will also raise his head and display his bright pink or red dewlap (a little flap of skin on the underside of their neck) and bob their head up and down. Usually this little "dance" turns into a game of cat & mouse for the male and female. She will run for him to chase her and when she is ready she will let him catch her and the mating process begins. About four weeks after mating she will lay a clutch of eggs and bury them in the soil. It takes approximately 30-45 days for the eggs to hatch and the young are on their own. They must catch their own food, usually small crickets or moths.

People often refer to anoles as Chameleons but they are not at all like a Chameleon. They due change colors, but for different reasons. If a Green Anole is cold, stressed or sick it may change to a dark shade of brown. When an anole is as bright green as the two in the photo they are healthy and content.

Even thought these beautiful lizards are abundant in the wild people buy them from pet stores to keep as pets. When we first moved to South Texas we didn't know that they were a common wild lizard so we caught a few and made a terrarium to mimic their natural habitat. My husband used an old dresser and put plexiglass on the front so we could watch the lizards. He added a few small live plants, some soil, rocks and he even made a little waterfall for them to play in. They need to be kept at a temperature of 65-80 degrees and they need an extra warm spot to bask in. He put a heat lamp on the top to produce enough heat for them. Some people would just use a heat rock but this is not healthy for your lizard. Heat rocks can get too hot and actually injure your lizards. It was quite easy to keep our lizards fed since they are insectivorous. We just turned the porch light on at night and waited for the moths and other insects to come around. Anoles will not usually drink water from a dish, they would rather lick the dew from the leaves. Be sure to mist the habitat a few times a day to keep them hydrated. Misting also helps to keep the terrarium humid so it is more comfortable to your little green friends.