Brown Anole

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. 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. The brown anole feeds on insects such as crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches, spiders, mealworms, and waxworms. 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 arthropods or small fish, nearly anything that will fit in its mouth.