CreatureData

Green anole

Anolis carolinensis Voigt, 1832

Status not recordedlizards

The green anole (Anolis carolinensis) is a species in the family Anolidae, order Squamata. Recorded adults weigh 2.3 g to 2.46 g, reach 4.97 cm in length and live up to 7 years.

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Quick facts about the green anole

Weight
2.3 g – 2.46 gsrc for Weight
Length
4.93 cmsrc for Length
Lifespan
7 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
11 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
45 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
1 – 2src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
4 months – 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
6 – 15src for Litters or clutches a year
Reproduction
Eggssrc for Reproduction
Active
By day (diurnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
Brain mass
27.9 mgsrc for Brain mass
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the green anole?

GREEN ANOLE · LENGTH 4.97 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 4.97 cm, the recorded maximum length of the green anole is about 2.9% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

What eats the green anole?

Species recorded in published studies and collections.

Recorded predators of the green anole

2 on record

  1. Racer Coluber constrictor6 sources
  2. Loggerhead shrike Lanius ludovicianus2 sources

Each pair is recorded by at least two independent datasets. A record shows the animal was seen or found to have eaten the other, including scavenged carcasses and young animals; it does not say how often. Compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (CC0 1.0).

References for these records
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/274822513
  • Some snake food records from the Carolinas. 1979. Brimleyana 1: 113-124
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/289690122
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/38065916
  • Yosef, R. and T. C. Grubb. 1993. Effect of vegetation height on hunting behavoir and diet of Loggerhead Shrikes. Condor 95:127-131.

Where does the green anole live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the green anole as introduced in 7 countries, and flagged as invasive in 2 of them.

  1. Japaninvasive
  2. Mexicoinvasive
  3. Anguilla
  4. Belize
  5. Cayman Islands
  6. South Africa
  7. St. Kitts & Nevis

Also listed for parts of: France (Saint Barthelemy); United States (Hawaii).

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the green anole endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the green anole classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classReptilia
  4. orderSquamata
  5. familyAnolidae
  6. genusAnolis
  7. SpeciesAnolis carolinensis Voigt, 1832

Synonyms Ameiua bullaris, Anolis baccatus, Anolis carolinensis seminolus, Anolis podargicus, Anolius carolinensis, Lacerta principalis, Norops baccatus

Other names and names in other languages (42)
  • American anoleEnglish
  • American chameleonEnglish
  • American green anoleEnglish
  • Bocourt's anoleEnglish
  • Carolina anoleEnglish
  • North American green anoleEnglish
  • Northern green anoleEnglish
  • Red-throated anoleEnglish
  • Southern green anoleEnglish
  • Hanaabiya okchàkkoAlabama
  • Зелен анолисBulgarian
  • anolis rudokrkýCzech
  • Grøn anoleDanish
  • RotkehlanolisGerman
  • Πράσινη ΑνόληGreek
  • Anolis VerdeSpanish
  • Abaniquillo verde del noresteSpanish
  • Anolis verde del noresteSpanish
  • آنول کارولیناPersian
  • anole vertFrench
  • Anole à gorge rougeFrench
  • Anole américainFrench
  • Anolis de CarolineFrench
  • Anolis de la CarolineFrench
  • Anolis vertFrench
  • Anolis vert (L')French
  • Caméléon américainFrench
  • אנוליס מצויHebrew
  • zöld anoliszHungarian
  • Anolide della CarolinaItalian
  • グリーンアノールJapanese
  • 녹색아놀도마뱀Korean
  • RoodkeelanolisDutch
  • Anolis zielonyPolish
  • Anolis-verdePortuguese
  • Anolisul verdeRomanian
  • Североамериканский красногорлый анолисRussian
  • каролински анолисSerbian
  • Grön anolisödlaSwedish
  • Аноліс каролінськийUkrainian
  • Thằn lằn CarolinaVietnamese
  • 綠變色蜥Chinese

Catalogue of LifeiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMS

Relatives of the green anole

Other species in the same genus Anolis.

Blue anole

Anolis gorgonae

AnolidaeNo free photo yet

CompareGreen anole vs Brown anoleGreen anole vs Blue anoleGreen anole vs Cuban anoleGreen anole vs Allison's anole

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the green anole?

An adult green anole weighs 2.3 g – 2.46 g and measures 4.93 cm long, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

How long does the green anole live?

The green anole has a recorded lifespan of 7 years.

Is the green anole an invasive species?

In some places. The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species flags the green anole as invasive in 2 countries: Japan and Mexico. It lists it as introduced in 7 in all.

What kind of animal is the green anole?

The green anole (Anolis carolinensis) belongs to the family Anolidae in the order Squamata.

What eats the green anole?

Animals recorded preying on the green anole include racer and loggerhead shrike. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Green anole (Anolis carolinensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/green-anole

MLA

“Green anole (Anolis carolinensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/green-anole.

BibTeX
@misc{green_anole_2026,
  title = {Green anole (Anolis carolinensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/green-anole},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}