Green anole

Anolis carolinensis · The green anole is a tree-dwelling lizard native to the southeastern United States that can change color from brown to green.

Also called Carolina anole, American green anole, Carolina green anole, American anole, Red-throated anole.

Green anole
Photo: Paul Hirst (Phirst), CC BY-SA 2.5
Green anole
Photo: Mgoodyear, CC BY-SA 3.0
Green anole
Photo: Mgoodyear, CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyAnolidae
GenusAnolis
SpeciesAnolis carolinensis

Where it lives

Woods and gardens of the southeastern US, from Virginia to Florida and Texas.

Fun facts

  • When caught by a predator, a green anole can snap off its own tail, and the detached tail keeps wiggling to distract the attacker.
  • Male green anoles have two sex organs called hemipenes and seem to alternate between the left and right one for successive matings.
  • A female green anole can store sperm for up to eight months after mating and lay a new egg roughly every two weeks all season.
  • Some green anoles are parasitized by fly larvae that grow inside them, and the resulting infection can kill up to 90% of victims.

Play it

The Green anole was the creature in a regional daily on October 27, 2026. Can you identify tomorrow's from its photos? Every day brings a new creature to place from kingdom to genus, map and name.

Play today's creature or replay a past daily

Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).