Vivariums;reptiles;Anoles;A.sagrei

Brown Anoles - Anolis sagrei :

The brown anole (Anolis sagrei), also known as the Bahaman anole or De la Sagra's Anole,[1] is a lizard native to Cuba and the Bahamas. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, by being sold as a pet lizard, and is now found in Florida and as far north in the United States as southern Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Hawaii, and Southern California.[2][3][4] It has also been introduced to other Caribbean islands and Taiwan in Asia.

his species is highly invasive.[5] In its introduced range, it reaches exceptionally high population densities, is capable of expanding its range very quickly, and both outcompetes and consumes many species of native lizards.[6][7][8] The brown anole's introduction into the United States in the early 1970s[9] has altered the behavior and triggered a negative effect on populations of the native Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis, also known as the green anole), which have generally been relegated to the treetops.

Brown anole

Male brown anole displaying dewlap

Conservation status:

Secure (NatureServe)

Scientific classification :

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Chordata

Class:Reptilia

Order:Squamata

Suborder:Iguania

Family:Polychrotidae

Genus:Anolis

Species:A. sagrei

Binomial name:

Anolis sagrei
Duméril and Bibron, 1837

Synonyms :

Norops sagrei

Description :

The brown anole is normally a light brown color with darker brown to black markings on its back, and several tan to light color lines on its sides. Like other anoles, it can change color, in this case a darker brown to black. Its dewlap ranges from yellow to orange-red. The males can grow as large as their green anole male counterparts, around 17.8–20.3 cm (7.0–8.0 in) long, with some individuals topping 22.9 cm (9.0 in). The females are also around the size of female green anoles: 7.6–15 cm (3.0–5.9 in). The male brown anole's head is smaller than that of the male green anole. Also, the brown anole's tail has a ridge that travels all the way up to behind the head, a feature the green anole lacks.

Male extending dewlap

Male extending his dewlap in Citrus County, Florida

Florida female

Female

Grand Cayman juvenile

Shedding :

Brown anoles molt in small pieces, unlike some other reptiles, which molt in one large piece. Anoles may consume the molted skin to replenish supplies of calcium.[citation needed] In captivity, the molted skin may stick to the anole if humidity is too low. The unshed layer of skin can build up around the eyes, preventing the lizard from feeding and may lead to starvation. This can be prevented by maintaining high humidity.

Diet :

Brown anoles feed on small arthropods such as crickets, moths, ants, grasshoppers, cockroaches, mealworms, spiders, and waxworms.They may also eat other lizards, such as the green anole, lizard eggs, and their own molted skin and detached tails. If near water, they eat aquatic arthropods or small fish – nearly anything that will fit in their mouths.

Brown anole in Rockport, Texas

Predation :

As a defense mechanism, the brown anole can detach most of its tail when pursued or captured. The piece that breaks off will continue to move, possibly distracting the predator and allowing the anole to escape. The lost tail will partially regrow.[10] If provoked, the brown anole will bite, urinate, and defecate. Predators include rats, snakes, birds and many larger animals such as cats.

Recent work in experimentally introduced populations in the Bahamas has shown that body size in the brown anole may not be affected by predation, as was previously thought.[11]

Communication :

Anoles use visual cues as their primary signaling mode.[12] However, recent evidence suggests that male brown anoles are also capable of sensing chemical cues that are left behind by female conspecifics.[13]

For the external links , refrences click here to read the full wikipedia article

Video :

Big Brown Anole Lizard

Care Articles :

1- BROWN ANOLE LIZARD

Anolis sagrei

courtesy to : whitepython.com/reptile-care/brown-anole-lizard/

By Chris Jones
Founder of WhitePython™

Brown anole lizards, like the green anole lizards are regularly imported into the UK in large numbers every year. They are more robust than the green anoles but are generally hardier. Males reach approximately 18cm, females slightly smaller at about 14cm. These are quite a dark species, with an overall brown to black colouration with white or yellowish markings along the body. Their dewlap however is a beautiful orange colouration, which makes this species most impressive when displayed. Brown anoles range from Florida and among many islands within the Caribbean. Their care is virtually identical to the green anole, and therefore much of the information within this care article can also be found in the green anole care sheet. It should be noted though that brown anoles are more dominant than green anoles, and should no be kept with other species.

Housing :

It has been published and said many a time that brown anoles can live in a small terrarium with minimal requirements. I must stress that this is far from the truth, and will lead to a short lived, unhappy and unhealthy pet lizard. Although this is a small species of lizard, they are incredibly active and curious creatures. They need to regulate their temperature and have access to UVA and UVB rays normally omitted by the sun. Humidity is another important factor, this will help in the sloughing of their skin and generally aid in the health of the lizard.

It is recommended that one male is kept to a minimum of three females. Alternatively, if you only want two or three animals, then just buy females. Brown anoles are a communal species and should be kept in groups. Keeping a single specimen will deprive it of the much needed stimulation offered by the surrounding lizards. An ideal group consists of one male to five females. This size group should be housed in a terrarium L90cm x H90cm x W45cm. The larger the terrarium, the further you will enrich your lizards life. A larger group of two males to 10 females should be kept in a terrarium L120cm x H90cm x W45cm.

Many keepers choose to house their brown anoles with other species, such as Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis) and numerous day gecko species (Phelsuma sp.). This is not recommended for a number of reasons. Brown anoles are more robust than green anoles and will dominate the terrarium. It may not be so obvious, but the brown anoles will predominate the higher grounds of the terrarium, have first place under the basking site and may even push the green anoles aside when feeding. Day geckos can be rather aggressive and may nip the anoles. A number of geckos are also nocturnal, meaning that at night time these geckos may literally walk all over the sleeping brown anoles. This will add much stress to the anole and should be avoided at all costs. There is one animal however which I feel will add use to a brown anole tank; that is an American Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea). These are nocturnal frogs which will help clear up any uneaten insects during the night, they cohabitate with green anoles in the wild and require the same temperature and humidity fluctuations.

Brown anoles, when kept in an optimum environment will breed readily; and therefore will need a deep substrate which is easy to dig in. Potting soil is ideal and is completely natural. With this substrate, it is also possible to place live plants directly in the substrate rather than placing them in pots within the terrarium. It is important to balance your planting and décor with space. Brown anoles will often like to get out into open space along sticks and branches and onto open leaves to bask and get a good look at their surroundings. However, being able to crawl away into a bush to get cover is also a necessity. Be sure if using live plants not to use anything which is either toxic to eat, or releases toxic fumes. For a list of safe plants, see our plant list.

Heating & Lighting :

As already mentioned; brown anoles are a diurnal species and will bask in the sun. Therefore they need a basking site to reach their optimum temperature, and a light which emits UVA and UVB rays. Ideally, 2 or 3 basking sites should be set up in your enclosure. These should be simply 60W spot bulbs placed approximately 8” away from where the lizard/s will bask. By placing more than one basking site in the enclosure you will allow lizards to choose their favourite spot, and allow several lizards to bask in at the same time, as they would do in the wild. These basking sites should reach approximately 86-94˚F, allowing for a more overall air temperature of 80-84˚F and lower down in the enclosure, a cool area of approximately 74-78˚F.

It is possible to replace the spot bulbs with UV spot bulbs. However, providing several of these is a very expensive on-going cost which is not necessary. Instead, place a UV strip light across the top of the enclosure. This should be as long as your enclosure allows, with a reflector behind it so that UV rays are not aimed in the wrong direction. UV bulbs should be replaced every 6-8 months, regardless of whether or not they are still emitting light.

Do not use heat mats or heat rocks with brown anoles. They are completely un-natural and serve no purpose. If extra heat is needed during the night time hours, an infra-red bulb will act perfectly.

Humidity & Water :

Coming from Florida and the Caribbean, a high humidity range is a must. An ideal range is 60-70%, although fluctuations either way will rarely harm your lizard. This can be achieved in a number of ways.

Firstly, a large water bowl placed as near as possible to a heat source will aid in the overall humidity. One step better is to then add air bubbles, commonly used in aquariums for fish. The bubble effect will continually circulate the water and burst small water vapours into the air. Similarly, a small waterfall will give the same effect.

Offering plants such as bromeliads is another way to increase humidity. These plants hold water within the pockets at the base of the leaves, allowing for more surface area of water to evaporate. They also make a great addition for a display terrarium.

Spraying the terrarium with cool water once a day, preferably in the mid-morning will certainly help the humidity, and at the same time allow the anole lizards to drink the water droplets that gather on any leaves or other surfaces. If you have a larger budget, a timed misting system will be perfect for when you are not around and would like the terrarium sprayed at regular intervals. These are becoming fairly inexpensive and are a perfect addition to a wonderful anole display tank. One word of advise though; direct the spray nozzles away from the front of the terrarium, as the spray will obstruct your view into the terrarium and the glass will need to be cleaned more often.