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American “chameleons”, more correctly know as green anole lizards, Anolis carolinensis, has potentially become a pet in more households in North America than any other lizard.

The green anole is an affiliate of a genus of approximately 300 species and subspecies, all extremely alike in body configuration and habits, often found in tropical and subtropical NorthAmerica 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 colonized. True chameleons are reptiles of the Old World and have tiny in common with green anoles, except the ability to change color. In the green anole, the change from brown to green is due to changes in pigment cells of the skin and the reply to numerous stimuli such as temperature, light and emotion. When resting the anole is mostly brown during the daytime, will turn green at night, but fright and other stimuli could cause the anole to turn green at any point.

The green anole also shares another ability with another sort of lizard, the gecko. Green anoles are not firmly related to geckos, but their toes share similar characteristics and both species of lizards can climb flat, smooth surfaces such as glass.

Another oddity of the green anole lizard is the possession of a fan on the throat, which can sometimes be extended arbitrarily. Green anole lizards are territorial. The males will stretch their pink or kind of red throat fan and bob their head to alert other males of their territory.

A six-inch full-lizard is mature and robust, and prospers well in prison. Green anole lizards require a wet environment, the leaves of plants in the enclosure should be sprayed from time to time because the hanging drops of water that provide the anole with the liquid nourishment it requires. Prisoners can be maintained for lengthy periods on a diet comprised of mealworms, but a diverse diet of flies and other insects is better.

Green anole tails are extraordinarily fragile and simply lost. This habit of separating from their tails common for many families of lizards. The new tail generally does not resemble the original and you can see at a peek whether a green anole sports its original tail or a regenerated tail, as a regenerated tail is usually shorter and the scale pattern is different. Among the reptiles, only lizards, and not all lizards, can regenerate lost tails.

A colony of a few green anoles can be kept in a large aquarium or other acceptable cage. The enclosure should have abounding foliage, and the enclosure should be well lit. If possible, direct sunlight should be available to part of the enclosure. In such conditions, these hardy lizards follow the same activity they would follow in natural habitats. Territories will be established and breeding may take place. Eggs might be laid underneath the bark or stones in a comparatively moist area. Green anole babies, like most babies of other reptiles parents will not receive parental attention. Babies can be fed with tiny insects. The expansion of green anole lizards is reasonably fast, and the hardy species often lives as long or longer in prison than it does in natural habitats.

In spite of the big number sold as pets, the green anole lizard remains abundant in the southern United States, where it frequents trees, shrubs, vines and around older houses. A significant number can be caught at night using a flash-lamp. Green Anole lizards are among the least costly reptile pets available to personal collectors.

G. Weir is an amateur herpetologist and runs the Lizards As Pets site. For more information about different types of lizards as pets visit http://lizardsaspets.org