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Brown Anole

Anolis sagrei

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21.3136, -157.806

Field Notes

Habitat:

Sitting in the sun on a rock in the gardens of the Honolulu zoo. Need to research what this is and what it is doing! Have seen other lizards do this but never checked it out. Mating display? territorial display? You're getting too close to me display? So much that I don't know about lizards!

Notes:

So I am learning about lizards of Hawaii now. Need to find out how many introduced lizards there are there!

Reference Links:

Brown anole

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (15)
KathleenMcEachern
@ bugadrienne I have seen the Green Anole in Hawaii too, but there are definitely more Browns visible.
KathleenMcEachern
Hi Ashley! thanks for your info, but in this case it is not correct. I am using a 70 - 300 mm lens here and he is not displaying at me. Probably someone or thing closer to him right then.
bugadrienne
I watch them extend the dewlap for all types of communication. It is impressive when they extend a crest from the head to the tail when they prepare to fight, also showing their fighting colors. They look like different lizards then. It is funny how I often see that one chooses light and one chooses dark when they do that. Like the Black Knight and the White Knight preparing for battle. Interesting as their behaviors are, they have pretty much outcompeted Anolis carolinensis in my area. I miss the greenies. :(
AshleyT
They extend their dewlap for courtship and for territorial reasons. In this case, he was probably threatened by you and was extending it to tell you that it was his territory.
KathleenMcEachern
Okay I found this video of a Brown Anole displaying to a female, so it seems for sure a courtship behaviour and may be for other things as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UremFE5pRpc
KathleenMcEachern
Thanks bugadrienne. I should have recognized this. It is introduced, highly invasive and changing the native populations of areas where it lives. I see that the neck display is a dewlap. Do you know when and why it extends this dewlap?

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Hawai'i Bioblitz 2013

Tags

Photographed
PublishedApril 7, 2013

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