Zookeeper Amber Carney sent these photos of what is likely Anolis carolinensis. The lizards were spotted in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA, at 3pm on the 19th of April. They’ve been reported in Los Angeles but, to the best of my and Jonathan Losos’s knowledge, never in San Diego. Has anyone else observed wild anoles in San Diego? Range expansion!
This looks like a female to me.
A male, perhaps.
I am interested in whether, how, and why ecology shapes evolution (and evolution shapes ecology) through time, with an emphasis on microevolutionary pattern and process, adaptation, and field experiments. I completed my Ph.D. on Anolis lizards in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. I am currently a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Texas, Austin studying threespine stickleback. They're not anoles, but they're cool too.
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James Stroud
That female doesn’t look in great shape!
Skip Lazell
I bet it is a young male….
William Robertson
This web page discusses green anoles in San Diego and elsewhere in California:
http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/a.%20carolinensis.html
Amber
Yeah I’ve heard about them being established in the zoo parking lot for a long time.
Jonathan Losos
Apparently, the brown anole is also in California according to the California Herp Page: http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/a.sagrei.html
Ambika Kamath
Range expansion or invasion? One of the photos in the links suggests that the source is a pet release…
Greg Pauly
The San Diego population has been established in Balboa Park for some time. I don’t know the earliest record, but the standard story is that they are escapees from the zoo, possibly once used as feeders. Again, this is the story; I don’t know the evidence to back it up. The L.A. population that I recently documented has been there for at least 12 years. I do not yet know the origin of the L.A. population.
I have also recently observed a Green Anole that showed up in CA via the nursery plant trade (it showed up at a nursery that also recently had a Cuban Treefrog hitch a ride on the latest shipment). I think the nursery trade is a likely mode of transport for some of these extralimital anole records.
Tabitha Kohmescher
Found this guy today at San Diego zoo. This is the second time I have seen an anole in the zoo. I was very surprised.
calvin
Saw a green anole plant hopping at the San Diego Safari Park (Wild Animal Park) yesterday (4-2-2015).
Kenton
I was at the San Diego zoo yesterday Jun 27, 2015 and I saw an Ocelot pouncing on an Anole and subsequently eating it in his cage. I saw the distinct red neck flare while it was being attacked. 100% positive.
Mike
There are a couple large and healthy green anole lizards that I see every year here in Mira Mesa near the canyon. They are always on the top of the fence and in the olive tree flashing the local fence lizards with their red neck flap when I see them. This year however; I have not seen them.
Jim
I live on Tecolote Canyon. I caught one today. I raise endangered retiles at my property. The Green Anole is in an aquarium next to my Baby Tortoises.
Vincent
I’ve seen these guys during the summer time around the San Diego river in mission valley nearly every day. As well as in Bonita in residential neighborhoods. They are quite common in San Diego and have been for some time now
Linda Frieden
I have a pair in my backyard…babies have shown up. Lived here over 2 yrs and see them every summer
Keith Ressler
My wife discovered two bright green lizards living in our backyard in Chula Vista, south of San Diego. She took a phone video of them from a distance, and their brilliant coloration is very distinguishable. Looking at my field guides leads me to believe this is the only possible explanation.
Jonathan Losos
can you send or post the video?
Carla De Mos
We saw one in the San Diego Zoo Safari park in tbe greenery infront of the restrooms by the carosel.
Keith Ressler
I reported these anoles in Chula Vista, CA, just south of San Diego, about a year ago. They still make occasional appearances, leading me to believe they are established. We have several free ranging cats in the neighborhood that hunt lizards, which further strengthens the idea to me that this is an established colony, not just a couple escapes.
Brian
I have seen one in Spring Valley where I work. That is on Via Orange Way.
Howard Hendrickson
October 27, 2021
Saw two of the little green anoles on an information sign in front of an enclosure at the San Diego Zoo. They were no-doubters, saw one change from green to brown as I watched from about 18 inches. Now I’ve since read posts on other blog sites that they have been here in San Diego since at least 2014, probably earlier.
S Reed
I saw three at the Japanese Frienship Garden this week.