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Green Anole | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Green Anole

Anolis carolinensis

ReptiliaShrubs, trees, fences and walls in humid subtropical countryLeast Concern

Field profile

The green anole is a slender arboreal lizard, around 20 centimetres including tail, capable of shifting between bright green and brown. Males display with a pink throat fan called a dewlap. It is the only anole native to the continental United States.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-02-28

Green Anole

Green anoles moved upward and evolved bigger toe pads

After brown anoles invaded Florida islands, resident green anoles shifted to higher perches within months. Over about fifteen years, roughly twenty generations, their toe pads grew larger and gained more adhesive lamellae, a measurable evolutionary response to competition.

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