Knight Anole
Encyclopedia
The knight anole is a species of lizard
in the Polychrotidae
family, and the largest species of anole
. Other common names include Cuban knight anole.
, but has been introduced into Miami-Dade (including Miami Beach), Broward
, Palm Beach
, and Collier
counties of Florida
. It grows to a length of 13 to 20 inches (33 to 51 cm) including the tail.
It is now widely introduced in South Florida where it reproduces and spreads readily. They can not withstand freezing temperatures and in winter freezes in south Florida they drop semi-consciously from tree canopies. In its native Cuba this large anole is called “chispojo”.
(a reddish-white flap underneath their chin), and both females and males will "puff themselves up" with air.
predator, though by warming itself on asphalt, rocks, or sidewalks at the end of the day it may be able to remain active for a while into the night.
, even baby birds and baby mice.
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
in the Polychrotidae
Polychrotidae
Polychrotidae is a family of lizards commonly known as anoles . NCBI places the anole in subfamily Polychrotinae of the family Iguanidae. Four genera are common: Anolis, Norops, Phenacosaurus, and Polychrus....
family, and the largest species of anole
Anolis
Anolis is a genus of lizards belonging to the family Polychrotidae. With nearly 400 species, Anolis represents the world's most species rich amniote genus. Several species of Anolis are occasionally ascribed to the genus Norops, but the validity of the Norops genus is not widely accepted...
. Other common names include Cuban knight anole.
Geographic range
It is native to CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, but has been introduced into Miami-Dade (including Miami Beach), Broward
Broward
Broward could refer to:*Broward County, Florida*Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, the Florida governor after which the county is named....
, Palm Beach
Palm Beach
-Places:Aruba*Palm Beach, Aruba, a town northwest of OranjestadAustralia*Palm Beach, New South Wales, a suburb of the city of Sydney*Palm Beach, Queensland, a part of the Gold CoastFrance*Palm Beach, France, located on the Mediterranean Sea in Cannes...
, and Collier
Collier
-Coal industry:*Collier, a person in the business or occupation of producing coal or making charcoal or in its transporting or commerce*Colliery, coal mining and selling*Collier , a bulk cargo ship which carried coal...
counties of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It grows to a length of 13 to 20 inches (33 to 51 cm) including the tail.
It is now widely introduced in South Florida where it reproduces and spreads readily. They can not withstand freezing temperatures and in winter freezes in south Florida they drop semi-consciously from tree canopies. In its native Cuba this large anole is called “chispojo”.
Behavior
It is fiercely territorial. Aggressive to anything that enters its territory, the knight anole will face almost any intruder it perceives to be a threat (from a distance). During its display, a lizard will sit high on all fours, gape menacingly, turn green, and perhaps bob its head. Males will extend their dewlapDewlap
A dewlap is a longitudinal flap of skin that hangs beneath the lower jaw or neck of many vertebrates. While the term is usually used in this specific context, it can also be used to include other structures occurring in the same body area with a similar aspect, such as those caused by a double...
(a reddish-white flap underneath their chin), and both females and males will "puff themselves up" with air.
Captivity
In captivity, the anole's aggressiveness seems to lessen to a certain degree. In communal terraria with other species of lizards it rarely attacks smaller lizards unless it is hungry. It may be hand-fed with caution, since it has a strong bite and many small, sharp teeth.Habitat
Its main habitat is shady tree trunks, for these lizards are aboreal tree dwellers. The knight anole is a diurnalDiurnal animal
Diurnality is a plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.-In animals:Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular . Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects, reptiles and birds...
predator, though by warming itself on asphalt, rocks, or sidewalks at the end of the day it may be able to remain active for a while into the night.
Diet
Its diet as a young anole consists mainly of insects. As an adult it eats larger prey like tarantulas, other anoles, geckosGeckOS
GeckOS is an experimental operating system for MOS 6502 and compatible processors. It offers some Unix-like functionality including preemptive multitasking, multithreading, semaphores, signals, binary relocation, TCP/IP networking via SLIP and a 6502 standard library.GeckOS includes native support...
, even baby birds and baby mice.