Anoles
1.
bark anole (Anolis
distichus)
2. brown anole (Anolis sagrei)
3. American green
anole (A.
carolinensis)
4. Cuban green anole (A. porcatus)
5. crested anole
(A.
cristatellus)
6. knight anole (A. equestris)
7 Puerto Rican crested anole (
A. cristatellus cristatellus)
8.
Cook's anole (
A. cooki)
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| Puerto Rican
crested anole (A. cristatellus
cristatellus)
,
Jobos National Estuary, Puerto
Rico, 2007.
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| Common grass anole
(Anolis
pulchellus),
University of Puerto Rico, San
Juan, PR, 2007. |
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crested anole (Anolis
cristatellus),
Crandon Park, Key Biscayne, FL, USA, 2007.
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Bark anole (Anolis
distichus), Gifford Arboretum,
University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA. 2006.
Top: As you can see, it has well-suited camouflage for moving
on bark.
Bottom: This individual is shedding.
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Top
6 photos: brown anole (Anolis
sagrei).
Note the difference in coloration patters of these species.
Granted the light and dark coloration can change within an
individual because anoles can change the shade of their skin and in
some
species from green to brown. Nonetheless the pattern on the
skin is quite different. Some have a reticulated pattern that
various between individuals. Others have no distinct pattern
at all (left). The typical dorsal stripe is nonexistent in
some species. Also some individuals have a reddish head.
Others have a large crest that runs from the tail to the top of the
head.
The only consistent characteristics is that they are some shade of
brown and their dewlap is orange with a yellow border.
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America green anole (Anolis carolinensis), Archbold Biological Station, Florida, 2009.
Top: This is the best photo I have of a green anole dewlap. I saw him while conducting an experiment in the sandhill scrub.
Bottom: As green anoles can change colors from green to brown, this female is in the brown color condition. |
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| common grass anole
(A.
pulchellus),
University of Puerto Rico, San
Juan, PR, 2007. |
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| Puerto Rican
crested anole (A. cristatellus
cristatellus)
,
Jobos National Estuary, Puerto
Rico, 2007
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Anolis cooki,
Jobos National Estuary, Puerto
Rico, 2007.
This anole is the only anole that is endangered on Puerto Rico. Though
I saw it at Jobos, it usually is not this far to the east. All its
known populations are on the southwest coast. I'll have to get more
documentation to make sure that is indeed A. cooki, but it definely appears
to be A. cooki and not A. cristatellus. |
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green anole (Anolis
carolinensis), Brickell, FL,
USA.
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Though this
individual looks like a green anole,
it is a Cuban green anole (A.
porcatus).
Some individuals have blue stripes on their backs, but all of
the
individuals I have seen only have a few blue scales like this one.
***According to Jonathon Losos, a leading expert in Anolis
species, Cuban green anoles and American green anoles are so
closely related they might not be separate species.
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Knight anole (Anolis
equestris), Gifford
Arboretum, University of Miami, Coral
Gables, FL, USA. 2006
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Above two photos:
brown anole (Anolis sagrei),
Indian Hammock Park, Miami, FL, USA. Note the visible crest on the neck
and back. Sometimes brown anoles are crested as pronounced as this one.
The way to distinguish brown and crested anoles apart is by dewlap
color. Crested anoles (A.
cristatellus) have dewlap
with a yellow interior and
orange-red edge, basically the opposite of the brown anole.
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Top
3 photos: brown anole (Anolis sagrei).
More divergent coloration patterns between individuals and
between male and females (bottom).
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crested anole (Anolis
cristatellus),
Fairchild Botanical Garden, Miami, FL, USA. The prominent
crest on the tail that looks like a sailfish crest identifies a crested
anole. However, sometimes they lack the crest. The
best characteristic to distinguish the species is the dewlap.
The crested anole dewlap is yellow with an orange border, and
the brown anole is the opposite.
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