AA reader Diane Hickey Davis asks: Are there any differences, genetic or otherwise, between the Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis) found wild in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida panhandle, Tampa region, and those sold by Carolina Biological supply or PetSmart?
Professor of Biology and Director of the Living Earth Collaborative at Washington University in Saint Louis. I've spent my entire professional career studying anoles and have discovered that the more I learn about anoles, the more I realize I don't know.
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Laura
Hey
I find this disturbing even though mine are wild caught. In GA it is illegal to sell these guys through the pet trade as I am told. Some are sold as feeders too…sad, sad! But even if they are illegal here, you can still order them from Florida…
If they are ever successfully captive bred, I would rather prefer that than deplete their population.
Josh Hall
I have no idea where Petsmart or Carolina get their anoles (although Carolina Biological should be able to provide that information). There is, however, a lot of genetic and morphological variation in green anoles across their range. Very likely, if a person purchased an anole from the pet store and then released it into their yard, they would be releasing an animal that is genetically different from the local population.
As for captive breeding, these animals are really easy to breed in captivity; however, herpetoculture (breeding and selling reptiles and amphibians) is a business and it is MUCH cheaper to go outside and collect these abundant animals that it is to maintain a breeding colony. That’s why they are wild-caught. This is true for many animals in the pet-trade.