| Carolina anole | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
|
Secure (NatureServe) |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Polychrotidae |
| Genus: | Anolis |
| Species: | A. carolinensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Anolis carolinensis Voigt, 1832 |
|
| Subspecies | |
|
Anolis carolinensis carolinensis |
|
The Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis) is an arboreal lizard found primarily in the southeastern United States and some Caribbean islands. Other common names include the green anole, American anole and red-throated anole. It is sometimes referred to as the American chameleon due to its color-changing abilities; however, many lizards are capable of this, and anoles are not true chameleons.
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This species is native to North America, where it is found mainly in the southeastern parts of the continent. Anoles are most abundant on the Atlantic Coastal Plains in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia, and the Gulf Coastal Plain in Texas. The species has been introduced into Hawaii and the Ogasawara Islands.
Anoles are often territorial. In fact some have even been witnessed fighting their own reflection in mirrored glass. Stress in an anole can be identified by several symptoms. These symptoms include a constant shade of brown and a persistent black semicircle behind their eyes and chronic lethargy.
Like many lizards, anoles display autotomy of the tail to escape predation.
Anoles are curious creatures. A healthy lizard usually has a good awareness of its surroundings. The males are very territorial and will fight other males to defend its territory.[1] Many times the other male will be an extremely invasive Cuban Brown Anole.
The typical breeding season for green anoles starts from as early as April and ends to as late as August and lasts even occasionally into September. It is during this time that the most brilliant displays of these creatures can be seen, as the males must court the females with their elaborate displays of extending their brightly colored dewlaps while bobbing up and down, almost doing a dance for her while she runs in temptation from the male. The pursuit will continue until the two successfully mate. Usually, when the female is ready to mate, she may let the male simply "catch" her and he will thus grasp a hold of a fold of her skin above her neck area, or she will bow her head before him and simply "let" him take his grasp. At this point, the male will position his tail underneath the female's near her vent and the mating ritual will take place.
After a 2–4 week span following mating, the female will lay her first clutch of eggs, usually ranging from 1–2 in the first clutch. She will continue to lay eggs during the season until a total of 10 or so eggs have been produced. When it comes time for her to lay her eggs, she will bury them in the soft soils or compost nearby, and after that she no longer takes any care for it. The egg(s) are/is left alone to incubate by the light of the sun and if successful will hatch in 30–45 or so days.
The hatchlings must fend for themselves, anoles are by nature solitary animals since birth and are not cared for by the mother or the father. The young hatchlings must be wary of other adult anoles in the area as well as larger reptiles and mammals who could eat them.
The typical coloration for a green anole ranges from the richest and brightest of greens to the darkest of browns, with little variation in between. The color spectrum is a resultant of three layers of pigment cells or chromatophores: the xanthophores, responsible for the yellow pigmentation; cyanophores, responsible for the blue pigmentation, and melanophores, responsible for the brown and black pigmentation when the anole is cold or stressed.[2]
There are a few exceptions which are caused when a lack in one of the pigment genes occurs. These color mutations are also called phases. The rare blue-phased green anole lacks xanthophores which results in a blue, rather red, often baby or pastel blue, anole. These specimens have become a recent popularity in the trade market. When the anole is completely lacking xanthophores it is said to be axanthic and the animal will have a completely pastel or baby-blue hue. They are extremely rare—usually produced in 1 out of every 20,000 individual anoles in the wild. Another 'phase' is the yellow-phased green anole, which lacks cyanophores. Colonies of these rare color-phased anoles have been reported, but anoles with these color mutations rarely live for long, since the green color provides camouflage for hunting down prey as well as hiding from predators.
Turning brown indicates distress. Some catchers prefer not to catch a Carolina anole that turns brown, so as to avoid causing undue stress to the animal.
This species has been chosen as a model reptile for genomics by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) genome sequencing program.[3] It was selected because of the ease and low cost of laboratory breeding and evolutionary value of the diversity of the genus.[4] Before its genome was published, only mammals and 3 bird species had been sequenced among amniotes.[5] The draft genome sequence is 1.78 Gb (can be compared to ~3 Gb mammalian and ~1 Gb avian genomes), of which 30% is mobile elements such as LINEs, and contains an initially predicted 17,472 protein-coding genes and 2,924 RNA genes.[6]
The Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei) is a highly invasive lizard in the same genus as the Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis). It is native to Cuba and several other Caribbean islands, but has been introduced to Florida and has spread through the state. It has seriously depleted the population of carolina anoles throughout its range, due to competition for food and habitat. Some think that these lizards spread when they laid their eggs in potted plants at nurseries, which were then shipped throughout the state.
The anole's diet consists of small insects such as crickets and grasshoppers; it also eats grasses. Many people who keep these lizards as pets feed them mealworms, grubs, and maggots.