Meshaka and Layne have just published a masterful review of the native herps of southern Florida in Herpetological Conservation and Biology (freely downloadable). Of most interest to readers of these pages is the treatment of Anolis carolinensis, and it is indicative of the quality of this work: the six pages devoted to the natural history of the green anole is the most authoritative and comprehensive of which I’m aware, covering the literature for this species not only in southern Florida, but throughout its range. This monograph is the starting point for anyone interested in green anole biology. In addition, this section shows how surprisingly little we know about the biology of this species. For example, most of the information on green anole diet comes from Wayne King’s work from 1966.
This volume will be useful to anyone interested in the herpetology of southern Florida.
- Diet Notes on Beautiful Blue Knight Anole - September 4, 2024
- Anoles Provide Ecosystem Services - September 2, 2024
- Mississippi Kite Eats Green Anole - August 6, 2024
Kurt Schwenk
Thanks for posting this Jonathan and bringing it to our attention. And thanks to Walter Meshaka and James Layne for this truly amazing piece of work! The effort that went into this is astonishing. This is going to be extremely useful to a lot of people in a lot of different fields for a long time.
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Wanted to share this photo from my historian mother. It is from the Savannas area of St Lucie/Martin County. From what I have read, some of the state’s largest rattlesnakes were located in this area south to Sewall’s Point.
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Sad they killed them all.