Day 117: April 26th – The Brown Anole

Sunny, calm and warm (mid 80s)

       It’s a beautiful warm sunny morning and Sharon and I are preparing to head over to Orlando to join in the celebration of her Uncle Buddy’s 90^th birthday.  We’ll leave early this afternoon, so we stay close to home for our daily nature walk.  In a park adjacent to the Indian River near the North Causeway of New Smyrna Beach, we found a number of common birds…..the kind you expect to find at municipal parks. We had grackles, starlings, doves, Snowy egrets,  fish crows, and mockers. 

       Among all the park birds, we also had another common species found throughout southern Florida, the anole.  In fact, there are two species of anoles here in the “Sunshine State”.  The native species (Anolis carolinensis) is commonly known as the Green anole even though it too may be brownish in some habitats.

Green anoles (archival shot)

     The species we came across this morning and watched for some time is Anolis sagrei or the “Brown anole”.  Locals refer to this lizard as the Cuban anole as it is native to that island country and has been introduced and now reproduces and spreads quickly.  The anole is distinguished from the more common native species by its darker color and more aggressive behavior.  This anole has slowly been extending its territory into the same areas as his green native counterparts and may possibly pose a threat to the native anole’s existence.  Young anoles are a part of this invasive species’ diet as well as dining on many of the same insects, spiders and other invertebrates that the native species does.  (To be perfectly honest, however, Green anoles will also prey upon young browns)

Intruding Brown anole

       Fiercely territorial,  it will go through a series of threatening displays including rising up on all fours, turning green, widely opening its mouth and extending a reddish flap known as as a “dewlap” found beneath its chin.  The anole we watched today was engaged with a second Cuban lizard and was holding its own territory primarily through this last display.  Every time the second anole would get near the first, that dewlap came flying out.  The second seemed to know the signal well, and backed off in haste. 

Territorial display of the Brown anole

       We remained at the park for about a half an hour and the anole was still in exactly the same position on the same skinny sapling truck for the entire time.  Once again, even when the birds are not doing anything out of the ordinary and no “special” avian sightings are recorded, there always seems be something going on to draw our attention.  Well, the time to had west is drawing nigh, so we’ll leave the invasive anole to his territory and hope that he does not do too much damage to his native green cousins here in Florida.