When I think about a little green Fort Lauderdale lizard, I usually think that 15 minutes can save me
15% on car insurance. However, that is actually a gecko, not the Green Anole. Since the
Green Anole is also native to the southeastern United States, I don’t think that it would
speak with an Australian accent either. I mean, if it could talk. But if it could, I bet
that there would be a “Y’all” in there somewhere.
The first fun fact that I found out about the Fort Lauderdale Green Anole is that it can also be brown.
It depends on the Florida environmental conditions that it is facing, but it can change from green
to brown, similar to a chameleon. The males can grow up to 8 inches long and the females are
often, much smaller. They like to hide in foliage and prefer moist, humid places. However,
that doesn’t mean that they don’t climb walls and wander into the occasional home.
The prey of the Fort Lauderdale Green Anole is usually spiders and small insects. While the lizard does stalk
its prey, the chosen food source actually has to move to be detected. It is able to conceal itself
among the vines and branches, and blend in, so it is an effective hunter. In the wild, the males can
be extremely aggressive toward other males in their territory. This starts with head bobbing, and then
proceeds to push-ups. If this doesn’t work, they will flare the pink sac under its chin. The intimidated
interloper will do a submissive head bobbing and leave the dominant male’s domain.
Some people keep the Florida Green Anole as a pet, and the lizard seems to be very friendly, even liking to be
hand-feed. They do need special care and handling the lizard too much is not recommended. The Green Anole
is one of the most common Fort Lauderdale lizards that are kept as pets and there are many articles on the Internet about
the feeding and care of this small reptile. Since they do very well in captivity, their life span can be
anywhere from 5 to 7 years. In the wild, their life span is usually only 2 to 3 years.
Florida green Anoles drink water, but usually dew or mist from leaves. They cannot get out of deep water and will
drown if there is not a branch or log to hold on to. If kept as a pet, they will drink from a bowl, but it
must be very shallow.
Visit our Fort Lauderdale wildlife control home page to learn more about us.