Step outside on any given day around Sarasota or the Gulf Coast, and chances are you’ll spot a brown anole scurrying across a walkway or claiming a sunny spot on the fence. These small lizards are so common that most of us don’t give them a second thought. But there’s more to the story. Brown anoles are actually an invasive species, originally from Cuba and the Bahamas, and they’ve successfully spread across the southeastern United States.
The good news? They’re completely harmless to people. In fact, they eat mosquitoes, flies, and other insects, making them a useful presence during Florida’s buggy months. The more complicated news is that they also love butterflies. That’s created a daily challenge at attractions like the butterfly exhibit at Sarasota Jungle Gardens, where staff have to relocate these hungry lizards to keep the butterflies safe. Consulting Director Flavio Morrissiey points out that these lizards are quite the communicators, using push-ups, head bobs, and a colorful throat fan called a dewlap to send messages to rivals and potential mates.
The arrival of the brown anole has changed the local ecosystem in other ways too. They’re more aggressive than Florida’s native green anole, pushing the green ones higher into the trees in search of territory. With population densities reaching up to 5,000 lizards per football field, they’re a permanent fixture of the Suncoast landscape. Love them or find them unsettling, they’re a great reminder that Florida’s wildlife is always full of surprises.
