The brown anole lizard.

An invasive species; a brown anole lizard, Texas.

The anole is a kind of lizard in the same way that a duck is a type of bird.  There are 250 species of anole worldwide; most of them can be found in the Caribbean and southern North America.  The green anole lizard is native to the US while the brown variety, photographed above, is not.

Brown anoles are native to Cuba and a number of islands of the Lesser Antilles.  They were initially introduced in Houston in the early 70s and, in less than 50 years, have spread to much of Florida and a wide ring around the Caribbean Sea.  This includes the coastline of eastern Mexico.  They are closely tied to urban areas.

This is an invasive species, meaning that it is not native to the area and causes significant disruption to the ecosystem.  The greatest threat is to the native green anole; the browns compete with their cousins for food and living space.  Wherever brown anoles are found, a noticeable reduction in green anoles occurs.  The invaders also transmit parasites and bacteria that affect native populations.

I photographed the male anole lizard at my brother's house in Tomball, Texas.  It was sunning itself on a wooden dowel used to support plants.  The red extension on the lizard's throat is a dewlap, sometimes called a throat fan.  It is used in displays to attract females and establish territory.  This particular fellow did not seem too bothered by my presence.  I got a couple of good shots of him before he disappeared.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com