Anolis equestris Knight Anole
Also known as:
Cuban Knight Anole
Subspecies I've seen:
A. e. equestris
Western Knight Anole
Anolis equestris equestris Western Knight Anole
Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, FloridaDecember 29, 1998
Western Knight Anole (Anolis equestris equestris) Western Knight Anole (Anolis equestris equestris)
Florida has one native species of anole, the green anole, and at least nine introduced species. The Knight anole is an impressively large and formidable-looking Cuban species. These two are both juveniles, but even as juveniles they are much bigger than the adults of the green anole or very common brown anole. The pronounced stripes on the first fellow here will be gone by adulthood.
Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, FloridaMarch 11, 2004
Western Knight Anole (Anolis equestris equestris) Western Knight Anole (Anolis equestris equestris)
My wife Monica and I were driving home from a delicious pizza lunch when I noticed something in the road up ahead. "That leaf reminds me of a Knight Anole", I thought to myself, before looking elsewhere. Then we passed over it, and Monica said "I think that was an iguana or something". I made Monica turn around and drive back, and I jumped out of the car and grabbed this beautiful adult Knight Anole, who showed his gratitude at being rescued from the street by twisting his head and biting the side of my finger with the side of his mouth. Yow, what a bite! It healed in a couple of weeks though, and I came away with some nice photos of a Knight Anole, so I guess we're even.
Bill Sadowski Park, Perrine, Miami-Dade County, FloridaMarch 16, 2021
Western Knight Anole (Anolis equestris equestris)
They don't look particularly happy. You would think that they might look happy.
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