Richard Owen photo.
Green Anole, Anolis carolinensis
In Fort Matanzas National Monument, the arboreal green anole can be seen in the live oak hammock on the fronds of saw palmettos and other shrubs and on the trunks and in the canopy of the trees. It can change from an emerald green to a medium or dark brown, a feat that leads many people to refer to it wrongly as the 'American chameleon'. Males expand a bright pink throatfan and bob their head to drive off competitors and to attract females. When threatened, they escape by fleeing up and into the vegetation. Every two weeks from spring to fall, females come down from the trees to lay one egg in the moist leaf litter. The egg hatches 5-7 weeks later. Green anoles live about one year. They catch their prey, flies, beetles, spiders, and other small invertebrates by slowly sneaking up on them.
