Who knows lizards?

[Coastal]

I saw a lizard around the house that I’ve never seen before. I’ve been searching th internet for native and non native lizards to Florida and can’t find it. I tried to take a picture but I couldn’t get a good one. It is larger than the brown anole, black with white spots and it has a fin going down it’s back.

It’s probably something that is very common but I’ve been coming to FL for over ten years and have never seen one like it.

[LS2POWA]

According to the half a dozen sites ive been to, they show really dark brown anoles that are spotted and with a fin.

[Coastal]

That's got to be it. All the searches I've done with google and yahoo on the brown anole did not come up with any picture like that. thanks, what web site is that from?

[LS2POWA]

http://www.zinnysworld.com/lizards.htm

http://www.southalley.com/lizards.html

[Rich Z]

Yeah, the Cuban brown anole has just about displaced the native Carolina green anole through most of Florida. The Cuban brown isn't as cold tolerant, so they cannot survive the winters where frost is a common occurance. The greens are still commonplace around here near Crawfordville, fortunately.

There are a lot of non native species of reptiles in south Florida. Even Burmese pythons have become established. And of course green iguanas and monitor lizards are found as well.....

[RevXtreme 1]

We have Iguanas all around our property....they must be thriving as there are quite a few. The burmese pythons are reproducing like crazy in the evergaldes

[Coastal]

Well, I guess my problem was assuming that when you see one brown anole, you’ve seen them all. I saw a picture or tow of the brown and it didn’t look anything like the one I saw, seems that they come in a variety of shapes.

As far as green anoles, I have not seen any down here, I guess this area has pretty much been taken over. I still see the greens in Orlando but still mostly brown.

So, how do you figure those Cubans got here?

[Rich Z]

Florida has been an importation point from the tropics forever. Any number of animals can hitch a ride on a shipment of bananas or other produce. Plants being imported for the nursery trade have brought in all kinds of stowaways. Then you have the pet trade where Johnnie will buy a baby Burmese python that the parents tolerate until it gets 8 foot long, and they find that no one will take it off of their hands. So out the door it goes some night..... Not to mention just out and out escapes, which is quite common with snakes, as they are natural Houdinis.

Also, hurricanes have demolished homes and businesses containing LOTS of different types of wildlife that went scampering off into the woods.

South Florida can support a lot of different tropical species because the weather is similar.

[VertC5]

Originally Posted by Coastal

So, how do you figure those Cubans got here?

Pretty much the same way the humans did.

[Ms. AntiVenom]

I had a cuban knight anole for a long time


he was out in the yard trying to hunt, but he had a broken jaw, so I catched him and kept him fed, and he wouldent go away after that, He would turn jet black when he was mad