Details
Anolis carolinensis
The green anole is a small lizard of Nearctic forests and urban greenery. Diurnal and solitary, it signals with head bobs and an expandable throat fan.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It uses forest, edges, gardens, parks, shrubs, and green spaces around buildings. Branches, leaves, fences, and other climbing surfaces are useful.
Length is about 13-20 cm and weight about 3-7 g. It has a slim body and long tail, can shift from green to brown, and males show a pink dewlap.
It is active by day on leaves and branches, where it displays with head movements. Individuals live alone and defend small territories.
It is carnivorous, eating insects, spiders, and other small arthropods. It spots prey from perches and captures it in short lunges.
In warm seasons, females lay small eggs one at a time in soil or leaf litter. Hatchlings feed on tiny insects and are independent immediately.
Its status is listed as Least Concern. It adapts to urban habitats, though interactions with introduced relatives can shift where it perches locally.
