The Green Anole
by Lowell Rausch
At a recent nature outing a
cute little green-like lizard crossed our
path and someone responded, “See
the gecko.” You can’t turn on the
TV without seeing something similar
trying to sell you auto insurance. It was
natural to assume it was a gecko. But
it was not. It was one of our common
native lizards in South Carolina known
as the green anole (Anolis carolinensis).
Another common lizard we also see
is the Southeastern five-lined skink
(Eumeces inexpectatus). They love
to startle us, burying themselves
under fallen leaves at the sound of our
approach.
Green anoles, found primarily
in the southeastern U.S. and some
Caribbean islands, may be either
green or brown depending on their
environment and stress level. They
are usually five-to-eight inches
long. Males have a pink dewlap, or
expandable cartilage, below the neck
that is displayed in territorial rivalries
or when dealing with a potential mate.
They generally live in trees, but you
can see them in warm weather on sunny
deck rails, rooftops, and perched in
vegetation. During cool weather they
hide under tree bark,