Body coloration and color change in Anolis sagrei

Lillywhite, Harvey B.

Department of Biology

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida USA

hbl@zoo.ufl.edu

Jacobson, Elliott R.

College of Veterinary Medicine

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida USA

The Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei) is native to Cuba, The Bahamas, and Cayman Islands and was introduced to Florida as a stowaway in ship cargo, first documented in the Florida Keys during the 1880s. Populations in Florida likely resulted from multiple independent introductions, mostly from Cuba but also other locations in the West Indies. Historically, the ability of this and related A. carolinensis to change color, and the biological role of color change, have been subject to diverse and uncertain interpretations. Here we document that A. sagrei have the ability to change color and that color patterns can match that of perch backgrounds and appear to have a cryptic function. We caution that interpretation of body colors of Brown anoles based in field observations should involve careful attention to adequate duration and context of lizard behavior, without disturbance of lizards. Observations of lizards in suburban Florida indicate that Brown anoles are quite variable in body morphology and coloration and have some inherent ability to change color. Coloration is predominantly brown with patterns of stripes, chevrons or mottling, and some individuals have a red head or body.