This young Anolis equestris was enjoying the recent bloom of a royal palm here in south Florida. After the freeze in 2010 there was a sharp decline in Anolis equestris (kill rate perhaps as high as 80%). The Iguana iguana population declined by 95% or more (so much for the “invasive invasion”). What has resulted from this die-off is that now I see many more of these young A. equestris. This particular specimen most likely hatched out last spring, there is also a smaller sized batch that must have hatched out in the fall. This staggered series of young animals is something I had not observed previously. Adult Anolis equestris (particularly the males) are notorious cannibals and young equestris are much slower and less agile than A. sagrei, A. porcatus, and A. distichus which often elude the sprinting attacks of equestris.
There have been a number of citations of equestris eating birds and small rodents. Anolis equestris are opportunistic predators and will undoubtedly take fledglings if possible. I have seen mocking birds chase equestris from trees because they see them as threats, however, their fabled predatory exploits have been largely exaggerated. For nearly forty years I have made numerous field observations of A. equestris in south Florida. What I have found is that they spend their time much like their smaller anolis counterparts snapping up small arthropods. In fact, a fair proportion of their food intake isn’t even animal matter; instead, it consists of plant matter, particularly when the various ficus species and palms are fruiting. They will also lick palm blooms for pollen and nectar as well as feed on fallen over ripe fruits such as mangoes, and sapodillas. Their impact on native species has also been overstated. With the exception of palmetto bugs (Eurycotis floridana) and a few other arthropods the vast majority of the equestris diet consists of non-native species (both plant and animal). One of their favorite foods on warm summer mornings are Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) as they return to their daytime hiding places. As the apex lizard predator, they will also eat all the other exotic anolis and gecko species. Equestris is also eaten by native predators like the gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), black racers (Coluber constrictor priapus), and (at least in one observation) screech owls (Megascops asio), as well as numerous exotics like house cats and cattle egrets.
Although Anolis equestris exists in virtually all the counties in extreme southern Florida, they are predominantly an urban and suburban species living almost exclusively in disturbed habitats where they have carved out a nitch for themselves. I have never seen equestris in the heart of the Everglades or Big Cypress Swamp; they seem to depend on the complex biologically diverse food web that has been artificially created by human activity.
Anolis equestris mate throughout the rainy season in south Florida, beginning in late spring and ending in mid fall. Three to four weeks after mating, the females will excavate a shallow depression in the soil and leaf litter near the base of a tree where they will lay one or two eggs. She will repeat the laying process several times (often near the same location). The laying will usually occur during the early morning hours every six to eight days. The eggs will normally hatch out in 60 to 90 days depending on the temperature and weather. I suspect that many eggs survived the freeze in 2010 because the nightly freezing temperatures never lasted long during the daylight hours. When the population reaches its critical mass again in a few years, I suspect fewer and fewer young equestris will reach adulthood due to cannibalistic predation. Anolis equestris are long lived and are able to survive from 10 to 15 years in the wild. They grow quickly and are adult size (12”-13”) in two to three years, but, if they stay healthy, they will continue to grow at a reduced rate for the remainder of their lives. Before the freeze I had examined a few 16-17” individuals.
I hadn’t noticed such a precipitous decline in the numbers of A. equestris in South Miami between 2009 and 2010 (although my general impression of the impact of the cold snap on green iguanas is consistent with the 95% decline that you describe). In terms of lizard prey, they don’t limit themselves to anoles and geckos — my field assistants found this adult A. equestris swallowing a Basiliscus vittatus about half its own size: http://www.anoleannals.org/2011/10/01/knight-anole-eats-basilisk/
Great photograph Neil! Was that taken near Red Road by the waterway? I agree, equestris will feed on anything smaller than itself. I’ve been told that in Broward County they will also take Bahamian curly tails, though I have not observed it myself. As far as the freeze in 2010 is concerned, the equestris that had fallen from the trees were all dead by the third morning. I managed to pick up a few dozen the second day and brought them indoors. Half developed a form of necrosis in parts of their bodies and never recovered, several more became permanently blind and I ended up euthanizing them.
Armando,
Thanks for the fabulous report on the natural history of this surprisingly little known species. Fascinating.
Thank you Jonathan. The various species of exotic Anolis in south Florida have always interested me. I hope to obtain a better camera so that I can share photographs of these in their adopted south Florida habitats. There are at least eight species and several distinct populations (of perhaps hybridized animals) that are as you say, fascinating.
Get that camera. Inquiring minds need to see these photos! And what are the eight invasives these days? garmani, cybotes, sagrei, cristatellus, distichus, equestris, porcatus…is chlorocyanus still around?
And cybotes has reached Broward County!
Here in central Broward County FL, the Basilisk vitiates has become the predominant large lizard after the Iguana freeze-out. They compete with A. equestris for feeding on the lesser Anoles. see this recent sequence of photos.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qvv40z9t7Uo/T7kF1Ix1MjI/AAAAAAAAAe8/7kYRKCqTm6c/s912/A_equestris_8003.jpg
Basilisk vittatus and Anolis equestris compete
https://picasaweb.google.com/115769677707081451908/BasiliskVittatusAndAnolisEquestrisCompete#5744629210135474738
Hi Armando,
Very cool post! Something I have wondered is whether or not females lay eggs at the base of one the trees in their territory, or if they lay them at the base of another tree. They are, as you note, very cannibalistic. Do the hatchlings climb up the tree where they were laid, or do they disperse to another tree first? Do they go straight up to the canopy, or do they spend some time at lower heights until they gain some size? Basically, what’s to stop a female A. equestris from cannibalizing her own young?
Thanks! -Martha
That’s a great question Martha! I’m not really sure, but, what I have observed is that newly hatched equestris are never found in the larger trees; instead they take up residence in smaller trees or shrubs where they feed on young A. Sagrei, etc… (their hatching periods coincide). As a kid I remember a key lime shrub in my parent’s yard that would always have baby equestris throughout the summer. I think the thorns kept them safe from most predators and overactive kids!
Wow! That’s really cool. I never thought I’d say it, but poor little A. sagrei. It reminds me of avian brood parasites, where the parasitic hatchling outgrows the true nestling and eventually shoves it out of the nest. The A. equestris and A. sagrei start out more less the same size, and then the equestris start getting big. Really big. And then they start eating the sagrei. Ouch!
You are right, they start their lives as predator and prey and they end up that way as adults. I am of the opinion that A. sagrei have been unjustly maligned. They form a significant food source for many of our native birds and their hatchlings, which also coincide with the summer boom in the Anolis population. The most invasive and destructive exotic began somewhere in northeast Africa a couple of hundred thousand years ago and has spread to every continent on the planet!
Yes, there is a very small population of Anolis chlorocyanus still around and I believe I found a place where a few Anolis coelestinus also exist. So in actuality there may be nine species established. There are definitely at least two distinct populations of distichus also, I believe one group came over from the Bahamas and became established in Coconut Grove (it was common when I was a kid) and the second is definitely larger and almost surely from Hispaniola. This latter group may have hybridized with the former. It’s very difficult to sort them out now since the two groups overlapped in the 1980s. Previously the dewlaps were distinctly different, one was pale yellow (Bahamian) and the other had some orange near the center (Dominican). Additionally the Hispaniolan or Dominican/Haitian had more greens throughout the body while the Bahamian had a more ashen appearance with grays and whites, although that is not a clear indicator as they can change their coloration.
BTW- all the species (except sagrei and distichus)were adversely impacted by the 2010 freeze. I have only seen one garmani since 2010.
I know of two populations of cybotes in Dade County. They fight hard to keep their foothold. They compete directly with sagrei. However, the cybotes seem to do best in slightly shaded environments as in “semi-wild” hardwood groves near suburban areas while sagrei loves to be near human habitations and enjoys either full sun or partial shade. I believe that sagrei has been disbursed throughout Florida by people (either intentionally or accidentally). Notice that the largest populations coincide with disturbed habitats in suburbs and cities near major thoroughfares.
Excellent information on my favorite lizard! I’m an Anole Hobbyist and have kept Knight Anoles in terraria since I was 15 (circa 1985)! I love reading anything and everything about their natural history, including the scientific literature (I had two career ambitions in mind growing up, biologist or cop, after a stint in the military, law enforcement seemed the logical choice but I never gave up my love of herpetology and nature). I stumbled across this site recently and this is my first post. I thank the creators and contributors for allowing lay folks to participate!
I currently maintain 4 Knight Anoles, 1 male and 2 females together and a juvenile female separately. I also have a juvenile pair of False Chameleons (A. barbatus), affectionately named Rango and Beans, that my very understanding wife just gave me for Christmas this year! Rounding out my herp charges are Indy the juvenile Leopard Tortoise and August the juvenile Sulcata. I hope to learn tons from this fascinating site!
Here is a photo of my juvenile female Knight Anole. She hatched the day after Father’s Day last year and was my only success in ’11 (this photo was taken when she was 5 months old). I was previously successful incubating and hatching 5 Knights in ’09 but nothing in 2010 or this year. I hope to have better results in 2013.