Lizard Indentification?

[Pumapayam]

Well, with the success of this and that.

It's like a common lizard, Green Anole, but more spikey, like an iguana. It was sun bathing on my outdoor couch in the atrium the other day. Here are a couple of shots I took.

[Gary]

Are you sure that's not a common lizard that was addapting it's color to the chair? I thought the green lizards were camelians.

[TheNiche]

Kill it. Eat it.

[HarrisCountyEx]

At first I thought it was a gekko, but the shape looks more like the typical chameleon lizards. We have the pink gekkos, but lately I've seen these fellas outside too. Sorry, I have no idea what it is!

[Pumapayam]

Are you sure that's not a common lizard that was addapting it's color to the chair? I thought the green lizards were camelians.

I thought so too, but Wikipedia claims not so much.

It is sometimes referred to as the American chameleon due to its color-changing abilities; however, it is not a true chameleon.

It has thorny looking bumps too.

[crunchtastic]

Kill it. Eat it.

Whip up a little beer batter and get the Fry Daddy out of the closet!

[Pumapayam]

Kill it. Eat it.

I am a bit full after the snake.

[crunchtastic]

Is it a skink?

That's another lizard-y creature, but I'm not sure I know what they look like.

[Jax]

I've seen those dudes in H-Town before. Definitely not a gecko. I'd like to know if you figure out what it is!

[Vertigo58]

I do feel sympathy for the common green ones you see around here. If they enter the hacienda I normally try to scoot them (escort) them out the door to set them free. They are said to eat all kinds of pathetic bugs.

When we were kid we used to torture them for entertaiment, but that was then.

Some become famous!

[musicman]

i think it's a brown anole of some sorts.

As a defense mechanism, Brown anoles can voluntarily drop off most of their tails when pursued or captured by the tail. The bit that breaks off thrashes around, distracting the predator as the anole makes its escape. The lost tail will partially grow back.

Edited August 19, 2008 by musicman

[tmariar]

i think it's a brown anole of some sorts.

I second musicman's identification. I think it's a brown anole. A google images search will show you versions of brown anole that look more like this one.

I'm generally very pro-lizard. But I didn't like the sound of this on the wiki page:

The Brown Anole, Anolis sagrei (or Norops sagrei) also called the Bahaman Anole is a lizard native to Cuba and the Bahamas. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, and is now found in Florida and as far north as Southern Georgia, Texas, Taiwan, Hawaii, and other Caribbean islands. Its introduction in the USA has altered the behavior and triggered a negative effect on populations of the native Green Anole, Anolis carolinensis, also called the Carolina Anole. [The Brown Anole] is highly invasive. In its introduced range it reaches exceptionally high population densities, is capable of expanding its range at an exponential rate, and both out competes and consumes many species of native lizards.

[Pumapayam]

Its introduction in the USA has altered the behavior and triggered a negative effect on populations of the native Green Anole,

Can we have a green vs brown fight!

Good find musicman and tmariar.

[gnu]

The Brown Anole, Anolis sagrei (or Norops sagrei) also called the Bahaman Anole is a lizard native to Cuba and the Bahamas. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, and is now found in Florida and as far north as Southern Georgia, Texas, Taiwan, Hawaii, and other Caribbean islands. Its introduction in the USA has altered the behavior and triggered a negative effect on populations of the native Green Anole, Anolis carolinensis, also called the Carolina Anole. [The Brown Anole] is highly invasive. In its introduced range it reaches exceptionally high population densities, is capable of expanding its range at an exponential rate, and both out competes and consumes many species of native lizards.

Interesting. but I don't think I have ever seen a brown anole. I used to see a lot more of the green anoles than i do now. I see geckos more than any other lizard type creature. Growing up there seemed to be green anoles everywhere and I don't even remember seeing geckos until the mid-90's. Are they invasive too?

[Pumapayam]

Interesting. but I don't think I have ever seen a brown anole. I used to see a lot more of the green anoles than i do now. I see geckos more than any other lizard type creature. Growing up there seemed to be green anoles everywhere and I don't even remember seeing geckos until the mid-90's. Are they invasive too?

Ever since I redid my atrium with the brick wall to replace the wooden fence (stone = attractive nice heat pad to sun on), plus the growth of my wall climbing ivy plants (critter buffet), I have seen a huge increase in anoles hanging around my house, mostly green ones. Likely the same bunch, since they are territorial. I wish they ate fire ants though.

[gnu]

I wish they ate fire ants though.

i will let you have some of my crazy ants. not many fireants around my house since these guys showed up...but of course now i have ants running around everywhere instead of just hanging out in their mound like a good ant should.

[musicman]

Can we have a green vs brown fight!

Good find musicman and tmariar.

let's hope you didn't cause that tail damage.

[sheeats]

Whatever he is, he's super cute. You should name him Benjamin and give him some crickets to eat, just because I said so.

[lilyheights]

It is not a green or brown anole, as far as I can tell. I see them all over the place -- I call them the new big dudes. I also have brown (encroaching) anoles; and still see the rare green dude. This new guy is unknown.

Try contacting someone at Texas A&M...they identified some weird bug I saw a few years ago. (Do you remember those strange aphids that were leaving sap all over cars?)