And A Good Morning To You Too

We walked out the front door and there he was – a Carolina Anole (Anolis carolinensis). The first one I’ve seen this year.

He was on the rim of a plastic container. He looked very comfortable because the rim was about an inch wide and he didn’t have to exert any energy to balance on it. At first I though he was simply sunning himself.

It was a little strange that he didn’t run off. He was only four to five feet from where we were standing looking down at him. Usually, an anole won’t hang around with a human so close. But he did.

And then he moved. He was looking around below him, not at us. He was ignoring us. Even when he was not moving, his eyes were constantly moving, surveying his surroundings.

And then it became obvious. He was staking out some some prime real estate..

He would raise his head and body.

And then he would do three to four ‘pushups’, bobbing his head up and down, followed by…

Extending his dewlap.

He repeated this display four times while we were watching. We couldn't see any other anoles in the area .He was either threatening another male in the area or trying to attract a female. After all, it is Spring.
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Identification and Distribution:
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Herpetology Program: Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)

Related posts:
- Green Anole: Anolis carolinensis