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Living Fossils- Lizard Id


Nettuno

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A friend sent this photo asking if I knew what kind of lizard this is. I've never seen one with a head like this, looks kind of like a baby dinosaur. It showed up in a backyard in southeast Florida and I know they have iguanas around but I've never seen an iguana with a head or eyes like this. Any lizard specialists?

post-1101-0-07618800-1373821136_thumb.jpg

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That's an Anole (the so-called 'chameleon' of the pet shop trade).

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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It looks like the Cuban Knight Anole, Anolis equestris. It is an introduced species.

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Thanks! We have lots of anoles but the species I normally see are much smaller and the head & eyes are much different.

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Lots of established exotics in Florida!

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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'Al Dente' nailed it . . . a Cuban knight anole, a formidable lizard when full grown. They don't seem to have spread north like the much-smaller Bahamian brown anole, Anolis sagrei. Sagrei is more terrestrial, and readily lays eggs in plant pots. The eggs travel with the commercially-grown plants to hatch in areas in North Florida and elsewhere. Plus, Sagrei adults may hitch a ride on car or truck where they had been sleeping or hunting.

I think that Anolis equestris is much more arboreal, and may lay eggs in a different situation. That, and this anoles' large size makes stowing away less likely. Equestris may be less cold-tolerant, as well.

http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page

 

What seest thou else

In the dark backward and abysm of time?

---Shakespeare, The Tempest

 

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