American “chameleons”, more correctly know as green anole lizards, Anolis carolinensis, has likely become a pet in more homes in North America than any other lizard.
The green anole is an affiliate of a genus of approximately 300 species and subspecies, all very similar in body configuration and habits, common in tropical and subtropical North America and South America. The Green Anole is the only species of Anole lizard that is native to the U. S. , but other species have been introduced and have seemingly successfully colonised. True chameleons are reptiles of the Old World and have little in common with green anoles, except the facility to change colour. In the green anole, the change from brown to green is caused by changes in pigment cells of the skin and the reaction to assorted stimuli such as temperature, light and emotion. When resting the anole is usually brown during the daytime, will turn green at night, but fright and other stimuli can cause the anole to turn green at any time.
Filed under Reptiles Amphibians by .