Kingdom    Animalia      (animal)
Phylum     Chordata      (notocord)
Class      Reptilia      (reptile)
Order      Squamata
Family     Iguanidae
Genus      Anolis
Species    carolinensis

Full name is green anole, sometimes called American Chameleon although they are not chameleons. They are about the size of an human adult's ring finger.

Both the male and female have a dewlap, although the male's is larger. When the male is "showing off" (to attract females or threaten other males, he bobs his head and displays his dewlap. A receptive female may also bob her head and display her small dewlap.

When anoles are kept as pets in a glass tank, they often climb the walls using their adhesive lamellae on their feet. Since they are attracted to heat, which helps them digest their food, they frequently take a nap on you if you hold one. They seem to prefer fingers, where they dig in with their claws, are become hard to shake off. Being bitten by one hurts as much as a tissue falling on your finger. (When one was dying, I was trying to feed it Gatorade (recommended by a vet because it replaces electrolytes), and it went berserk and bit me.) When warm and "happy" and just fed, they tend to be green, and when cold or hungry, they tend to be brown. When sick, they turn a brownish-gray color.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.