Family: Polychrotidae, Anoles view all from this family

Description 5-8 3/4" (13-21.3 cm). Extensible throatfan yellow to red-orange, with white line down center. Enlarged toe pads; short snout. Tan to dark brown; with dark-bordered, interconnected light diamonds or stripe down back; pattern fades in mature males to a uniform tan. Tail compressed, with prominent crest in male. No crest on back.

Subspecies Five subspecies; two have been introduced in our range.
Cuban (A. s. sagrei), bright red-orange throatfan; s. Florida north to Georgia.
Bahaman (A. s. ordinatus), throatfan mustard or yellow with red splotches; Lake Worth, Miami, and Chokoloskee Island, Florida.

Breeding Mates throughout spring and summer. Single eggs, laid from June to September, hatch in 30 days.

Habitat Trees, shrubs, fences, walls, lumber stacks, rock piles. Usually within 6' (2 m) of the ground.

Range Introduced into peninsular Florida, Texas, and possibly established in Louisiana; Florida population spreading north to Georgia. Native to Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas.

Discussion Diurnal. Although frequently found on trees and shrubs, the Brown Anole is a terrestrial species. It never ventures far from the ground and rests head down so that it can flee earthward when threatened. Males vigilantly protect territory, driving intruders away by a ritual of intense headbobs or push-ups, followed by displays of the colorful throatfan. Ants, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, and other prey are caught by swift dashes. Although two subspecies were introduced in Florida, most current individuals differ from the original subspecies and cannot be distinguished as one subspecies or the other and. Florida populations tend to be closer to the Cuban subspecies.