Photo by Peter May (https://media.eurekalert.org/multimedia_prod/pub/web/191913_web.jpg?w=650)
A year ago, we mentioned reports of brown anoles (A. sagrei) in Germany, green anoles (A. carolinensis) in southern Spain and the Canary Islands (reviewed here), as well as a report of Cuban knight anoles (A. equestris) also on the Canary Islands, and asked if there were other sightings. Now we have one!
Reader Rick Wallach writes in:
I just returned to Miami from a week in Alcala de Henares near Madrid, Spain. On Tuesday night, July 9th, a colleague and I were walking through the Plaza de Cervantes at about eight PM (Spanish time) when I noticed an <i>A. sagrei</i> sitting on the rim of a cement planter displaying its dewlap. This is such a common sight to me, it took a second for it to sink in that I was not at home but in the middle of Spain. As I approached for a closer look the lizard darted into the shrubs and disappeared, but there’s no doubt about what I saw.
The question, of course, is whether the little feller was an escaped pet or indicative of yet another feral population of this ubiquitous species. I suspect the former, since during Madrid area winters the nighttime temperature drops into the mid-thirties F. Even so, I’d be curious if anyone else knows of reported sightings of brown anoles on the Iberian peninsula.
PS – I should add that even if central Spain is too cold from late October – April to support a feral population of sagrei, southern coastal Spain from Isla Cristina, around the coast past Cadiz to Gibraltar and then back northward maybe halfway to Barcelona, is much warmer and would support them handily.
Just a thought.
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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kris crandell
Hi there! This is exciting! If anyone here knows exact localities of sagrei in spain – the more specific the better! I’d really appreciate a contact.
I lead an undergrad field course to the south of spain and would be interested in some anole-specific studies 🙂
thank you!!