I've just moved to Florida (I used to live in Michigan) in order to study marine biology; therefore, I'm also just starting to get used to the wealth of lizards around here. I love lizards, so they are of very great interest to me; I tend to spend my time between classes watching them...

I just found one lizard, however, with very unusual markings--it was shaped like a brown anole, maybe six inches long or so including the tail, but it was pitch black with slightly paler legs, a bright red head, and a stunningly bright white stripe down its back. I heard that brown anoles have a great deal of color variation between individuals, but this one was just so unique; I'd never imagined the like.

Is it brown anole or something else?

A pic would greatly help in ID'ing him.

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

Pictures always help with id'ing. Especially in an area so diverse with various species. Florida houses loads of reptiles.

My first thought was the five lined skink. But if it only had one line, well that may rule that one out. The other is the redheaded agama. They have dark bodies and red heads, but I am not certain if they have any lines on them.

Pictures would really help! lol

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.:: Rich ::.

+ Spread The Info

now listen here! if you want us to ID things, we are going to need photos of what you are finding.

Really, it would help a lot!

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

I would be very happy to give you a picture, but I only caught a glimpse of him and I had no camera. I'm a professional artist, so I'd draw you a picture, but currently I have no scanner or digital camera to get it on the computer. The best I can really give you is a description...

Hello,

Hopefully one of our Floridian members will be able to answer this question off your description. It very well could have been a brown anole, but without seeing it, it is extremely difficult to say with absolute certainty. (At least for me. lol)

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.:: Rich ::.

+ Spread The Info

I've been looking at pictures of Red-Headed Agamas; I don't think they have that stripe, at least not as well-defined--though perhaps babies have it, I don't know; this one was fairly small. Otherwise, I would think it's an anole; that's what the body-type seems to suggest.

professional artist and no digital camera? tisk tisk

(i'm one too)

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

I'm in school studying Marine Biology, remember? I have no money!

Brown anoles will never have a red head and are only that dark under stress. A Male Calotes rouxi in breeding color comes to mind when I think of the colors you mentioned, but I don't know them to exist in Florida. There are non-native populations of other calotes though, notably Calotes versicolor I believe.

This is the only picture I could find online of a breeding Calotes rouxi, but like I said, they shouldn't be in FL:
Whoops! We can't find your page!

Red-headed agamas are found in Florida (also non-native). Breeding males can have an orange, red, or pinkish head on a black or bluish body, which may or may not have a whte stripe.

This is the best photo I could find of one that resembled yours. The blue may or may not be present.
http://www.wildherps.com/images/herp...aded_agama.jpg

Here's another one also showing the white stripe, and pale legs:
http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thu...ama_lizard.jpg

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"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield