One of the joys of living in South Carolina is the frequent sighting of a green anole sunning itself. This is especially true for me since I have a fairly large back deck with full sun exposure, and the sight of one or more anoles is an almost daily occurrence. We have so many that it is not unusual for one to accidentally make its way into the house. I am then forced to crawl around on my hands and knees to capture the errant reptile, a feat not easily accomplished at my age.

So, what are anoles? Although commonly referred to as chameleons due to their ability to change color, Anolis carolinensis are not true chameleons. The green anole is a small- to medium-sized lizard, with a slender body. Adult males are usually 5 to 8 inches long, including the tail, and weigh less than an ounce. Anoles can be found from Florida to Virginia, and their diet consists of a variety of prey from crickets and grasshoppers to spiders and flies. They live about three years.

While commonly referred to as “green” anoles, their color can range from bright green to dark brown, thus giving rise to the chameleon misnomer. Anoles have three layers of pigment cells: yellow, blue, and brown. This combination allows anoles to change color depending on a variety of factors, including stress, breeding, and social interaction. In early spring, anoles are usually dark brown while adult males transition to green as the breeding season approaches.

If anoles are common to your surroundings, you have most likely observed one of its unique anatomical features, the dewlap, a thin flap of skin under the neck that can be inflated given various behavioral triggers. Dewlaps can be red or orange in males and gray or white in females. While all males have dewlaps, they are much smaller in females and not commonly displayed. Claiming territory, defending territory, and breeding activity will usually elicit a dewlap display.

The breeding season typically begins in April and can last until late summer. During this time a male defends his territory by flashing its dewlap and bobbing its head. Competing males can be seen skittering away from an aggressive defender. Like all snakes and lizards, male anoles have two penises, known as hemipenes or hemipenises. Males can actually alternate between the left and right hemipenis during multiple matings. The animal kingdom is full of fascinating facts!

Females typically lay a clutch of eggs about two to four weeks after mating. The soft-shelled eggs are buried in a shallow depression in loose soil, leaf litter, or the flower pots on my back deck. Eggs hatch in 30 to 45 days. Newly hatched anoles are about 2 inches long, and parents play no role in rearing their young. Young anoles mature in about eight months.

Anoles are not the only lizard found in South Carolina. In fact, our state can boast of 17 different lizard species, including several species of skinks and racerunners. However, not all of these were originally native to South Carolina. While recently shopping in a Charleston-area store, I encountered a small lizard running across the floor. I was able to catch it and identify it as one of the two species of geckos, natives of Indonesia and the Mediterranean, that have established themselves in South Carolina. While far cuter, smaller, and far less dangerous than the Burmese pythons found in the Florida Everglades, they are nonetheless considered an invasive species.

I write these columns from a desktop computer overlooking my back deck. As I bring this article to its conclusion, I see a male anole sunning itself on a teak chair. I just hope it’s not contemplating a trip inside the house. My aging knees can’t take another anole roundup.