The courtship of green anoles

Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Our native lizard, the green anole, is familiar to us all, although they are mostly tree dwelling, they’re often in bushes or sunning on porches. Sexually, they are polygynous, the males mate with numerous females, and try to keep other males out of their territory. A beautiful courtship display is the red dewlap on males, a structure under their chin they extend to attract females. Both sexes have the ability to change color, not to blend into the surrounding background, but take on tan or brown patterns depending on the weather – temperature and humidity, or some scientists say "mood," although how they know the mood of an anole is a mystery to me. The are great at catching insects and spiders, a good reason to have a multi-layered environment for them.