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Brown Anole
Anolis sagrei
27.9157, -82.3254
Field Notes
Description:
The brown anole (Anolis sagrei) is a lizard native to Cuba and the Bahamas. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, by being sold as a pet lizard, and is now found in Florida and as far north as southern Georgia, Texas, Taiwan, Hawaii, Southern California, and other Caribbean islands.
Brown anoles molt in small pieces, unlike some other reptiles, which molt in one large piece. Anoles may consume the molted skin to replenish supplies of calcium.[citation needed] In captivity, the molted skin may stick to the anole if humidity is too low. The unshed layer of skin can build up around the eyes, preventing the lizard from feeding and leading to starvation. This can be prevented by maintaining high humidity.
The brown anole feeds on insects such as crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches, mealworms, and waxworms as well as other arthropods including spiders, . They may also eat other lizards, such as the green anole, lizard eggs, and their own molted skin and detached tails. If near water, it will eat aquatic arthropods or small fish, nearly anything that will fit in its mouth.
Habitat:
This species is highly invasive. In its introduced range, it reaches exceptionally high population densities, is capable of expanding its range very quickly, and both outcompetes and consumes many species of native lizards. The brown anole's introduction into the United States in the early 1970s has altered the behavior and triggered a negative effect on populations of the native Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis), which have generally been relegated to the treetops.
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