Knight anoles are relatively slow and can be caught by hand, but they do have strong jaws and sharp teeth. In Florida, most do not survive cold winters (Behler 1979).
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
Many Anolis species are sold in pet stores. They make a good pet for the first time reptile owner.
Positive Impacts: pet trade
In the wild they eat grubs, crickets, coachroaches, spiders, and moths (Kaplan 1996). In captivity they can be fed crickets, mealworms, and smaller lizards (web2 1999).
Animal Foods: insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore )
Knight anoles are native to Cuba. They have been introduced into southeastern Florida, and there are now breeding populations in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties (Behler 1979, B. Hammond pers. comm.).
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Introduced , Native )
Knight Anoles are arboreal and commonly found under shady canopies of large trees.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Average lifespan
Sex: female
Status: captivity: 8.3 years.
Knight anoles grow to a length of 13 - 19 3/8 inches. They are the largest of the Anolis species. The snout is long and wedge-shaped. The tail is slightly compressed with a serrated upper edge. Each toe is expanded in the form of an adhesive pad. The adhesive pad occupies the central portion of the toe and is of an elongated form. The adhesive toe pads allow the knight anole to easily run up smooth, vertical surfaces, or run body downward on a horizontal plane. The body is covered with small granular scales with a yellow or white stripe under the eye and over the shoulder. They are bright green in color which can change to a dull grayish-brown. There is sexual dimorphism. Males have a pale pink throatfan that distends when excited. (Ditmars 1930, Behler 1979).
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes colored or patterned differently; male more colorful; sexes shaped differently
Breeding occurs during the summer. Courting is similar to the beginning of fighting but attitudes are less extreme. The male nods his head one or more times and frequently expands his throatfan and then seizes the female by the nape of the neck. The male forces his tail under the female to bring their cloacas in contact. The male inserts his hemipenis into the cloaca of the female. Lab studies have shown males attempting to mate with other males; possibly due to their inability to distinguish males from females (Noble 1933).
Mating System: polygynandrous (promiscuous)
These anoles are egg-layers (Pope 1966).
Breeding interval: Anoles breed once yearly.
Breeding season: Breeding occurs during the summer months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous
The knight anole (Anolis equestris) is the largest species of anole (US: /əˈnoʊ.li/ (
listen)) in the Dactyloidae family.[1] Other common names include Cuban knight anole or Cuban giant anole, highlighting its native country, but it has also been introduced to Florida.[2] In its native Cuba, this large anole is called chupacocote.[3]
The knight anole is part of a group of overall similar (in both appearance and behavior, all are crown-giant ecomorphs) anoles from Cuba known as the equestris species complex, including A. baracoae, A. luteogularis, A. noblei, A. pigmaequestris and A. smallwoodi.[4]
These and a few other anole species from Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico are sometimes placed in their own genus, Deiroptyx.[4]
Knight anoles are native to Cuba, but have been widely introduced into South Florida, where they reproduce and spread readily as an invasive species.[2][5] They cannot withstand cold temperatures; in winter freezes in Florida, they have been known to fall to the ground from tree canopies, similarly to the green iguana.[5] In highland parts of its native Cuba, a few individuals may rest adjacent to each other during the relatively cold winters (otherwise the species is solitary and highly territorial).[6]
In Cuba they can be seen from near sea level to an altitude of 3,300 ft (1,000 m) in a wide range of habitats with trees, such as forest, mangrove, savanna, cultivated areas and gardens.[5] In its introduced Florida range it even occurs in trees along roads in Miami.[2] Knight anoles are arboreal, mostly found high in trees on the trunk or branches in the canopy, but will descend to the ground to get from one tree to another, or for thermoregulation,[5] when occasionally seen on warm asphalt, rocks, or sidewalks.
Adult knight anoles are about 13–20 in (33–51 cm) in total length, including their tail that is longer than the head-and-body,[2] and weigh 0.56–4.83 oz (16–137 g).[5][7] Males grow larger than females, with adults of the former having a snout–vent length of 3.9–7.5 in (10–19 cm) and the latter 3.5–6.3 in (9–16 cm).[5] It is mostly bright green with a yellow stripe on the side of the head and another on the shoulder, but it is able to perform some color changes.[2][5] It has a pinkish-white dewlap. Juveniles have light bands on the body.[5]
Knight anoles are diurnal and fiercely territorial.[5] Initially they turn to face almost any perceived threat, if only from a distance. During its challenge display, a lizard will sit high on all fours, gape menacingly, turn green, and perhaps bob its head. The male will extend its dewlap, and both females and males will "puff themselves up" with air.
When young, its diet consists mainly of insects. As an adult, it mostly eats invertebrates (notably insects and snails), but regularly take fruits and can function as a seed disperser.[8][9] They may also take small vertebrates prey such as small birds and reptiles (including other anoles), but studies indicate that they do this less frequently than several other anole species.[7][8][9]
In captivity, the anole's aggressiveness seems to lessen to a certain degree; if it is raised from the time of its birth and handled, it is common for it to become tame enough to be held. In communal terraria with other species of lizards, it rarely attacks smaller lizards, unless the other reptile intrudes on its territory. It may be hand-fed with caution, since it has a strong bite and many small, sharp teeth.
The knight anole (Anolis equestris) is the largest species of anole (US: /əˈnoʊ.li/ (listen)) in the Dactyloidae family. Other common names include Cuban knight anole or Cuban giant anole, highlighting its native country, but it has also been introduced to Florida. In its native Cuba, this large anole is called chupacocote.
