Anolis sagrei (Brown Anole Lizard)

This afternoon, as well as evening, I decided to walk around a densely vegetated area of land near a swampy area and was able to capture macro shots of two Anolis sagrei, otherwise known as the Brown Anole Lizard. All shots were taken with a 75 -300mm lens with my Canon camera.

The first shots are of one of the lizards as it was resting upon the stem of a wild daisy.

Brown Anoles are originally from the Bahamas and Cuba, but were brought to the United States in the mid - late 1900's, and their population here exploded exponentially. They are now all over the U.S. and to a certain extent are a nuisance due to the fact that there are so many.

While they do eat insects such as flies, spiders, etc that will infest homes, they also reproduce during a large portion of the year (in some places all year), often making them unwanted guests.

They also eat more that just insects. They have also been known to eat their own eggs and even their dead skin if they are hungry enough (including their tails if it has been removed). What is pretty cool is if they do lose their tails (I posted a picture a couple days ago of one that had lost it's tail) they can grow another one to replace it. Now that is what I call a party trick!

Even though their vast numbers can cause ecosystem issues, they are still quite an interesting reptile. Since they move so quickly, if you're ever able to get a good look at one that is stationary, count yourself lucky!

Hope you've enjoyed these macro photos.

One love,

@jgullinese