Brown Anole

(Anolis sagrei)

This beautiful anole is actually an invasive alien in Florida. The Brown Anole is native to the Bahamas and Cuba (the Cuban subspecies is pictured here) but was widely introduced into Florida in the mid 1900s. Since then it has out-competed and displaced the native Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis) across much of Florida and nearby parts of the southeastern United States. Where the Green Anole remains it must spend its life up in the tree tops to avoid this new agressor.

What’s the moral of the story? Never release your pet reptiles into the wild!

Photo taken in JW Corbett Wildlife Management Area near Palm Beach, Florida, USA.