Photo by Janson Jones
Hey there!
Welcome to #DidYouAnole on Anole Annals for the first time!
I talk about a new anole every week on Twitter (with really good GIFs) and now here too!
This week’s #DidYouAnole is in collaboration with #GuessThatSkull, so if you want a 3D look at an A. carolinensis skull, check it out!
Last week I talked about Anolis porcatus and that A. carolinensis wasn’t a distinct species, but that’s not its fault and it’s still worthwhile to talk about. Since A. carolinensis was described first, that would mean A. porcatus should become carolinensis. So they’re all A. carolinensis!
The American Green Anole or simply, the Green Anole, gets its name from its colour. As most of us know it’s usually green, but it can change to brown, olive shades, grey and can even be blue!
Green anoles display sexual dimorphism, which is when animals have different features based on their sex. Like peacocks and peahens! Females tend to be smaller and have more proportional heads, have a white stripe down their backs and may have a dewlap that is much smaller than a male’s.
(Juvenile males may also have this dorsal stripe though!)
Photo by Vicki DeLoach
A lot of people have remarked that their native populations of the Green anole have been disappearing due to the introduction of the Brown anole. While it is entirely possible that its population can be affected by A.sagrei, it’s also very likely that these anoles are just partitioning by habitat. That means that Green anoles (trunk-crown ecomorphs) used to roam freely, but now with another anole around, they’ve moved and further adapted to the trees and the Brown anoles (trunk-ground) stayed on the ground where they prefer and are very visible.
Brown anoles are totally jerks though.
Green anoles have a range of dewlap colours. Most commonly bright red to pink, but some populations in southwestern FL have grey dewlaps and are a subspecies, A. c. seminolus, and some in HI have lilac dewlaps. This has been noted a few times by observers and authors on Anole Annals.
Speaking of which, I’m super excited/scared to bring this to you here on Anole Annals. I love this website. I’ve been in articles on here before and now I get to share my anole fan-girling on here myself!
And speaking of the dewlap colours! I draw anole stickers and my carolinensis sticker is now available in grey, and lilac. And there’s a new anole friend waiting there for you too!
Thanks for reading!!
...And also like every other anole. Every week. #DidYouAnole?
- #DidYouAnole – Anolis allogus - December 24, 2021
- #DidYouAnole – Anolis gundlachi - November 12, 2021
- #DidYouAnole – Anolis phyllorhinus - November 5, 2021
Benjamin
Hi, Chelsea!
Great first appearance here! Lilac dewlap…that is something!!! I first found this website when I was researching (first to identify, then to accurately describe) the green anoles having a territorial dispute from various lawn and patio fixtures. You can find that post at my site. I mainly adore birds, but my heart is growing as, during the pandemic, I get better acquainted with dragonflies, frogs, anoles, deer, and even rats!!
Being a North Carolinean, I of course agree with the sentiment that porcatus should be subject to classification as carolinensis.
Keep up the good work.
Benjamin
Chelsea Connor
Thank you so much for reading! I’m glad you liked my post. I was surprised to find out about the lilac dewlaps as well. They get described with different names for pastel purple but they’ve definitely been commented on on here!
The potential renaming of A. porcatus to A. carolinensis is due to naming conventions. I would personally prefer the older and distinct species (A. porcatus) to be the name that stays. However, A. carolinensis was described first so it would be the name that is kept.
Rolly Polly Anole
History should matter and these two populations, as similar as they are, have distinct natural histories.
Cuban and Carribean green anoles had been separated from mainland green anoles by millions of years, and that should be taken into account by scientists, conservationists, and….legislators.
I think homogenizing these distinct animals is a mistake and could lead to the acceptance and legitimization of this man made invasion, and to the complete loss of the genetic integrity of our native green anoles.