The Baton Rouge green anole is a type of lizard that is also referred to as the American anole, Carolina anole, and red-throated anole. It is a reptile from the Dactyloidae family that is commonly found in the southeastern United States as well as certain Caribbean islands. It is a Louisiana animal that many people may not be familiar with, and it is occasionally mistaken for the American chameleon due to its ability to change colors, although it is not considered to be a true chameleon. Read on to find out more facts about this fascinating animal's appearance, behavior, living habitats and mating behaviors.

The Louisiana green anole is normally five to eight inches long. Green anoles have adhesive lamellae on their foot pads that they use to crawl around walls and different surfaces in the same way that geckos do. They are capable of changing color and can turn from bright green to grays and browns. The color changes according to the lizard's health, temperature and mood. They have bodies and tails that are slender and long and the heads have pointed snouts. The males can be distinguished from the females by their pink dewlap, which is a flap of skin that hangs in an arc below the neck. The dewlap is used to attract the females in a territorial display.

The male Baton Rouge anoles may perform territorial rituals as well as rituals of dominance through bobbing their heads and through doing movements that look like pushups. Green anoles live in places that are moist and green with some shade. They like to live in shrubs and trees. Its diet includes spiders and small Louisiana insects. They breed from March to October. The females may lay one egg every two weeks, and they will hatch after five up to seven weeks.

If you happen to come across one of these small to medium-sized lizards in the wild, look for the details mentioned in order to differentiate it from other common Louisiana lizards and chameleons. Of course you have nothing to worry about in terms of your personal safety when it comes to these small reptiles, but if you come across a male, it could act in an aggressive manner. Some male green anoles have even been witnessed fighting their reflections in a mirror. As mentioned in this article, these interesting animals have their own unique behaviors, characteristics, living habitats and mating habits.

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