I have a laundry line strung up between the house and a tall hedge. Besides its intended purpose, it also serves as a bridge for geckos and anoles commuting between the house and hedge. They can scurry across the span in a hurry when they want to, but usually they go a little way, pause and look around, then repeat the process. They’re entertaining to watch, the experience sullied only slightly by the knowledge that this rope bridge could also serve as a freeway for rats.
This green anole is the dominant male at the south end of the house. I see him often, but was surprised recently to find him in this condition. He was shedding, which I think is an annual event. He pulled at the paper-like skin with his mouth, and when it came free, he promptly ate it. Sometimes it can take a while to complete the process, but when I saw him again half an hour later, he was all done.
Anoles and geckos are common everywhere around here. Where geckos have a softer, often goofy look to them, the larger anoles seem to me much more ‘reptilian.’ I don’t picture geckos as descendants of dinosaurs, but anoles? Definitely.
This photo is what I mean, both in the anole’s appearance and its pose, echoing a mighty dinosaur clumping through prehistoric forest.
I saw this anole on the lanai one day and thought at first it was something new to me. It was a very deep brown with pronounced markings and it had a raised ridge on the back of its neck that I’d never seen before. It was already pretty agitated, but my taking photos riled it even more, causing it to strut around and puff out its dewlap.
After watching it for a while, I thought it had a lot in common with the green anoles I see around here, and sure enough, its color started to fade and then shift to green.
I suspect what was happening is that it was trying to stake out a new territory and was moving in with the most impressive display it could muster. I’ve found out since that the raised ridge is one such display technique that green anoles have. I didn’t see it again. Probably it decided that it didn’t need a territory already crawling with paparazzi.
I posted once before here about how green anoles head back and forth from the house on the cable and power lines. This is a photo of one of them as seen from below.
A green anole keeps a close eye on what’s happening in his territory.
This green anole has turned brown to better blend in with its location. It’s also puffing out its pink dewlap as a warning to another male encroaching on its territory. In this case, I think I was the target of its ire.
For more information about green anoles, go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_anole.
Green anoles clearly know the importance of fitness as they struggle for survival in the natural world. This one appears to be doing push ups on a ti leaf.
